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FOLK-TALES OF BENGAL

BT THB

REV. LAL BEHARI DAY

AUTBOB or " BIHQAL PCA8ANT UR," ITO.

^jTonbon
MACMILLAN AND CO.

1883

The night of Tramlation and Reproduetion it Reterved

tx>inx>N :
R. Clay, Sons, and Taylor,

BREAD 8TRBBT HILL, B.C.

RICHARD CARNAC TEMPLE.

Captain^ Bengal Staff Corp$,
F.RG.8., M.R.A.8., M,A.L, Etc.,

WHO FIRST SUGGESTED TO THE WRITER

THE IDEA OF COLLECTING

THESE TALES,

AND WHO IS DOING SO MUCH

IN THE CAUSE OF INDIAN FOLK-LORE,

THIS LITTLE BOOK

IS INSCRIBED.

PREFACE.

In my Peasant Life in Bengal I make the peasant
boy Govinda spend some hours every evening in listen-
ing to stories told by an old woman, who was called
Sambhu's mother, and who was the best story-teller
in the village. On reading that passage, Captain
R. C. Temple, of the Bengal Staff Corps, son of
the distinguished Indian administrator Sir Richard
Temple, wrote to me to say how interesting it would
be to get a collection of those unwritten stories which
old women in India recite to little children in the
evenings, and to ask whether I could not make such
a collection. As I was no stranger to the Mdhrchen
of the Brothers Grimm, to the Norse Tales so admirably
told by Dasent, to Amason's Icelandic Stories trans-
lated by Powell, to the Highland Stories done into

viii PREFACE.

English by Campbell, and to the feiry stories collected
by other writers, and as I believed that the collection
suggested would be a contribution, however slight, to
that daily increasing literature of folk-lore and com-
parative mjrthology which, like comparative philosophy,
proves that the swarthy and half-naked peasant on
the banks of the Ganges is a cousin, albeit of the
hundredth remove, to the fair-skinned and well-dressed
Englishman on the banks of the Thames, I readily
caught up the idea and cast about for materials. But
where was an old story-telling woman to be got? I
had myself, when a little boy, heard hundreds — ^it
would be no exaggeration to say thousands — of fairy
tales from that same old woman, Sambhu's mother —
for she was no fictitious person ; she actually lived in
the flesh and bore that name; but I had nearly for-
gotten those stories, at any rate they had all got
confused in my head, the tail of one story being joined
to the head of another, and the head of a third to the
tail of a fourth. How I wished that poor Sambhu's
mother had been alive I But she had gone long, long
ago, to that bourne from which no traveller returns,
and her son Sambhu, too, had followed her thither.

PREFACE. ix

After a great deal of search I found my Gammer
Grethel — though not half so old as the Frau Vieh-
mannin of Hesse-Gassel — in the person of a Bengali
Christian woman, who, when a little girl and living
in her heathen home, had heard many stories from
her old grandmother. She was a good story-teller,
but her stock was not large ; and after I had heard
ten from her I had to look about for fresh sources.
An old Brahman told me two stories ; an old barber,
three ; an old servant of mine told me two ; and the
rest I heard from another old Brahman. None of my
authorities knew English ; they all told the stories in
Bengali, and I translated them into English when I
came home. I heard many more stories than those
contained in the following pages; but I rejected a
great many, as they appeared to me to contain spurious
additions to the original stories which I had heard
when a boy. I have reason to believe that the stories
given in this book are a genuine sample of the old ^
old stories told by old Bengali women from age to
age through a hundred generations.

Sambhu's mother used always to end every one
of her stories — and every orthodox Bengali story-

PREFACK

teller does the same — with repeating the following
formula •—

Thus my story endetb.

The Natiya-thom withereth.

" Why, Natiya-thorn, dost wither?"

** Why does thy cow on me browse ? "

•• Why, cow, dost thou browse ? "

'* Why does thy neat-herd not tend me ? '*

" Why, neat-herd, dost not tend the cow?"

" Why does thy daughter-in-law not give me rice ?

" Why, daughter-in-law, dost not give rice ? "

" Why does my child cry ? "

" Why, child, dost thou cry?

" Why does the ant bite me ? "

'* Why, ant, dost thou bite ? "

KoUt koGtl koott

•>

»f

What these lines mean, why they are repeated at
the end of every story, and what the connection is of
the several parts to one another, I do not know.
Perhaps the whole is a string of nonsense purposely
put together to amuse little children.

LAL BEHARI DAY.

HooGHLT College,

February 27, 1883.

CONTENTS.

PAGB

I. Life's Secret 1

II. Phakir Chand 17

III. The Indigent Brahman 53

lY. The Stort of the Rakshasas 64

V. The Story of Swet-Basanta 93

VI. The Evil Eye of Sani 108

VII. The Boy whom Seven Mothers Suckled 117

VIII. The Story of Prince Sobur 124

IX. The Origin of Opium 138

X. Strike but Hear 147

XI. The Adventures of Two Thieves and of their

Sons. Part 1 160

„ II 171

XII. The Ghost-Brahman 189

xii CONTENTa

PAOF

XIII The Man who Wished to be Perfect 187

XIV. A Ghostly "Wife 197

XV. The Story of a Brahmadaitya 201

XVI. The Story op a Hiraman 209

XVII. The Origin op Rubies 220

XVIII. The Match-making Jackal 226

XIX. The Boy with the Moon on his Forehead . . . 236

XX. The Ghost who was Afraid op being Bagged . . 257

XXI. The Field op Bones 261

XXII. The Bald Wife 280

FOLK-TALES OF BENGAL.

I. .

LIFE'S SECRET.

There was a king who had two queens, Duo and
Suo.^ Both of them were childless. One day, a Faquir
(mendicant) came to the palace-gate to ask for alms.
The Suo queen went to the door with a handful of rice.
The mendicant asked whether she had any children.
On being answered in the negative, the holy mendicant
refused to take alms, as the hands of a woman unblessed
with child are regarded as ceremonially unclean. He
offered her a drug for removing her barrenness, and
she expressing her willingness to receive it, he gave it
to her with the following directions: — "Take this
nostrum, swallow it with the juice of the pomegranate
flower ; if you do this, you will have a son in due time.

* Blings, in Bengali folk-tales, have invariably two qneens — the elder
is called dito, that is, n6t loyed ; and the yonnger is called 8tw, that
is, loyed.

» B

2 FOLK-TALES OF BENGAL. [i.

The son will be exceedingly handsome, and his com-
plexion will be of the colour of the pomegranate
flower; and you shall call him Dalim Kumar.^ As
enemies will try to take away the life of your son, I
may as well tell you that the life of the boy will be
bound up in the life of a big hoal fish which is in your
tank, in front of the palace. In the heart of the fish is
a small box of wood, in the box is a necklace of gold,
that necklace is the life of your son. FarewelL"

In the course of a month or so it was whispered in
the palace that the Suo queen had hopes of an heir.
Great was the joy of the king. Visions of an heir to
the throne, and of a never-ending succession of power-
ful monarchs perpetuating his dynasty to the latest
generations, floated before his mind, and made him
glad as he had never been in his life. The usual
ceremonies, performed on such occasions were cele-
brated with great pomp; and the subjects made loud
demonstrations of their joy at the anticipation of so
auspicious an event as the birth of a prince. In the
fulness of time, the Suo queen gave birth to a son of
uncommon beauty. When the king the first time saw
the face of the infant, his heart leaped with joy. The
ceremony of the child's first rice was celebrated with
extraordinary pomp, and the whole kingdom was filled
with gladness.

In course of time Dalim Kumar grew up a fine boy.

^ DcUvm or dadirnba means a pomegranate, and kmnara son.

I.] LIFE'S SECRET. 8

Of all sports he was most addicted to playing with
pigeons. This brougut him into frequent contact with
his stepmother, the Duo queen, into whose apartments
Dahm's pigeons had a trick of always flying. The
first time the pigeons flew into her rooms, she readily
gave them up to the owner ; but the second time
she gave them up with some reluctance. The fact
is that the Duo queen, perceiving that Dalim*s
pigeons had this happy knack of flying into her
apartments, wished to take advantage of it for the
furtherance of her own selfish views. She naturally
bated the child, as the king, since his birth, neglected
her more than ever, and idolised the fortunate mother
of Dalim. She had heard, it is not known how, that
the holy mendicant that had given the famous pill to
the Suo queen bad also told her of a secret connected
with the child's life. She had heard that the child's life
was bound up with something — she did not know with
what She determined to extort that secret from the
boy. Accordingly, the next time the pigeons flew into
her rooms, she refused to give them up, addressing the
child thus : — " I won't give the pigeons up unless you
tell me one thing."

Dalim. — What thing, mamma ?

Ihw. — Nothing particular, my darling ; I only want
to know in what your life is.

Dalim, — ^What is that, mamma ? Where can my life
be except in me ?

n 2

4 FOLK-TALES OF BENGAL. [i.

DiLO. — No, child ; that is not what I mean. A holy
mendicant told your mother that your life is bound up
with something. I wish to know what that thing is.

Dalim. — I never heard of any such thing, mamma.

Diw. — If you promise to inquire of your mother in
what thing your life is, and if you tell me what your
mother says, then I will let you have the pigeons,
otherwise not.

Dalim, — ^Very well, TU inquire, and let you know.
Now, please, give me my pigeons.

I}ii,o. — I'll give them on one condition more. Pro-
mise to me that you will not tell your mother that
I want the information.

Dalim, — I promise.

The Duo queen let go the pigeons, and Dalim,
overjoyed to find again his beloved birds, forgot every
syllable of the conversation he had had with his step-
mother. The next day, however, the pigeons again
flew into the Duo queen's rooms. Dalim went to his
stepmother, who asked him for the required informa-
tion. The boy promised to ask his mother that very
day, and begged hard for the release of the pigeons.
The pigeons were at last delivered. After play, Dalim
went to his mother and f aid — *' Mamma, please tell
me in what my life is contained." " What do you
mean, child ? " asked the mother, astonished beyond
measure at the child's extraordinary question. "Yes,
Mamma^" rejoined the child, *' I have heard that a holy

I.] LIFE'S SECRET. 6

mendicant told you that my life is contained in some-
thing. Tell me what that thing is." " My pet, my
darling, my treasure, my golden-moon, do not ask such
an inauspicious question. Let the mouth of my enemies
be covered with ashes, and let my Dalim live for ever,"
said the mother, earnestly. But the child insisted on
being informed of the secret. He said he would not
eat or drink any thing unless the information were
given him. The Suo queen, pressed by the importunity
of her son, in an evil hour told the child the secret of
his life. The next day the pigeons again, as fate would
have it, flew into the Duo queen's rooms. Dalim went
for them ; the stepmother plied the l^y with sugared
words, and obtained the knowledge of the secret.

The Duo queen, on learning the secret of Dalim
Kumar s life, lost no time in using it for the prosecution
of her malicious design. She told her maid-servants to
get for her some dried stalks of the hemp plant, which
are very brittle, and which, when pressed upon, make
a peculiar noise, not unlike the cracking of joints of
bones in the human body. These hemp stalks she put
under her bed, upon which she laid herself down and
gave out that she was .dangerously ill. The king,
though ho did not love her so well as his other queen,
was in duty bound to visit her in her illness. The
queen pretended that her bones were all cracking ; and
sure enough, when she tossed from one side of her bed
to the other, the hemp stalks made the noise wanted.

« FOLK-TALES OF BENGAL. [i.

The king, believing that the Duo queen was seriously
ill, ordered his best physician to attend her. With
that physician the Duo queen was in collusion. The
physician said to the king that for the queen's com-
plaint there was but one remedy, which consisted in
the outward application of something to be found inside
a large boat fish which was in the tank before the
palace. The king's fisherman was accordingly called
and ordered to catch the boal in question. On the first
throw of the net the fish was caught. It so happened
that Dalim Kumar, along with other boys, was playing
not far from the tank. The moment the bocd fish was
caught in the net, that moment Dalim felt unwell ; and
when the fish was brought up to land, Dalim fell down
on the ground, and made as if he was about to breathe
his last. He was immediately taken into his mother's
room, and the king was astonished on hearing of the
sudden illness of his son and heir. The fish was by the
order of the physician taken into the room of the Duo
queen, and as it lay on the floor striking its fins on the
ground, Dalim in his mother's room was given up for
lost. When the fish was cut open, a casket was found
in it ; and in the casket lay a necklace of gold. The
moment the necklace was worn by the queen, that very
moment Dalim died in his mother s room.

When the news of the death of his son and heir
reached the king he was plunged into an ocean of
grief, which was not lessened in any degree by the

I.] LIFFS SECRET. 7

intelligence of the recovery of the Duo queen. He

wept over his dead DaJim so bitterly that his courtiers

were apprehensive of a permanent derangement of his

mental powers. The king would not allow the dead

body of his son to be either buried or burnt. He could

not realise the fact of his son's death ; it was so entirely

causeless and so terribly sudden. He ordered the dead

body to be removed to one of his garden-houses in the

suburbs of the city, and to be laid there in state. He

ordered that all sorts of provisions should be stowed

away in that house, as if the young prince needed them

for his refection. Orders were issued that the house

should be kept locked up day and night, and that no

one should go into it except Dalim's most intimate

friend, the son of the king's prime minister, who was

intrusted with the key of the house, and who obtained

the privilege of entering it once in twenty-four hours.

As, owing to her great loss, the Suo queen lived in
retirement, the king gave up his nights entirely to
the Duo queen. The latter, in order to allay suspicion,
used to put aside the gold necklace at night ; and, as
fate had ordained that Dalim should be in the state
of death only during the time that the necklace was
round the neck of the queen, he passed into the state
of life whenever the necklace was laid aside. Accord-
ingly Dalim revived every night, as the Duo queen
every night put away the necklace, and died again the
next morning when the queen put it on. When Dalim

S FOLK-TALES OF BENGAL. [i.

became re-animated at night he ate whatever food
he liked, for of such there was a plentiful stock in the
garden-house, walked about on the premises, and
meditated on the singularity of his lot. Dalims
friend, who visited him only during the day, found
him always lying a lifeless corpse ; but what struck
him after some days was the singular fact that the
body remained in the same state in which he saw it
on the first day of his visit. There was no sign of
putrefaction. Except that it was lifeless and pale,
there were no symptoms of corruption — it was apparently
quite fresh. Unable to account for so strange a
phenomenon, he determined to watch the corpse more
closely, and to visit it not only during the day but
sometimes also at night. The first night that he paid
his visit he was astounded to see his dead friend
sauntering about in the garden. At first he thought
the figure might be only the ghost of his friend, but on
feeling him and otherwise examining him, he found
the apparition to be veritable flesh and blood. Dalini
related to his friend all the circumstances connected
with his death ; and they both concluded that he
revived at nights only because the Duo queen put
aside her necklace when the king visited her. As the
life of the prince depended on the necklace, the two
friends laid their heads together to devise if possible some
plans by which they might get possession of it. Night
after night they consulted together, but they could

I.J LIFE'S SECRET. 9

not tliink of any feasible scheme. At length the gods
brought about the deliverance of Dalim Kumar in a
wonderful manner.

Some years before the time of which we are speaking,
the sister of Bidhata-Purusha ^ was delivered of a
daughter. The anxious mother asked her brother
what he had written on her child's forehead ; to which
Bidhata-Purusha replied that she should get married to
a dead bridegroom. Madcfened as she became with
grief at the prospect of such a dreary destiny for her
daughter, she yet thought it useless to remonstrate
with her brother, for she well knew that he never
changed what he once wrote. As the child grew
in years she became exceedingly beautiful, but the
mother could not look upon her with pleasure in
consequence of the portion allotted to her by her
divine brother. When the girl came to marriageable
age, the mother resolved to flee from the country with
her, and thus avert her dreadful destiny. But the
decrees of fate cannot thus be overruled. In the course
of their wanderings, the mother and daughter arrived
at the gate of that very garden-house in which Dalim
Kumar lay. It was evening. The girl said she was
thirsty and wanted to drink water. The mother told
her daughter to sit at the gate, while she went to

1 Bidhata-Purusha is the deity that predetermines all the events of
the life of man or woman, and writes on the forehead of the child, ou
the sixth day of its birth, a brief precis of them.

10 FOLK-TALES OF BENGAL. [l

search for drinking water in some neighbouring hut.
In the meantime the girl through curiosity pushed the
door of the garden-house which opened of itself. She
then went in and saw a beautiful palace, and was
wishing to come out when the door shut itself of
its own accord, so that she coidd not get out. As
night came on the prince revived, and, walking about,
saw a human figure near the gate. He went up to it,
and found it was a girl of surpassing beauty. On
being asked who she was, she told Dalim Kumar all
the details of her little history, — ^how her uncle, the
divine Bidhata-Purusha, wrote on her forehead at her
birth that she should get married to a dead bridegroom,
how her mother had no pleasure in her life at the
prospect of so terrible a destiny, and how, therefore, on
the approach of her womanhood, with a view to avert so
dreadful a catastrophe, she had left her house with her
and wandered in various places, how they came to the
gate of the garden-house, and how her mother had now
gone in search of drinking water for her. Dalim
Kumar, hearing her simple and pathetic story, said,
**I am the dead bridegroom, and you must get
married to me, come with me to the house." " How
can you be said to be a dead bridegroom when
you are standing and speaking to me ? " said the
girL "You will understand it afterwards," rejoined
the prince, "come now and follow me." The girl
followed the prince into the house. As she had been

I.] LIFE'S SECRET. 11

fetsting the whole day, the prince hospitably entertained
her. As for the mother of the girl, the sister of the
divine Bidhata-Purusha, she returned to the gate of
the garden-house after it was dark, cried out for her
d^ghter, »d getting n, .n.we,. .e.t .wa, i. .e»ch
of her in the huts in the neighbourhood. It is said
that after this she was not seen anywhere.

While the niece of the divine Bidhata-Purusha was
partaking of the hospitality of Dalim Kumar, his
friend as usual made his appearance. He was surprised
not a little at the sight of the fair stranger ; and his
surprise became greater when he heard the story of
the young lady from her own lips. It was forthwith
resolved that very night fo unite the young couple
in the bonds of matrimony. As priests were out of
the question, the hymeneal rites were performed A la
GaTidharva} The friend of the bridegroom took leave
of the newly-married couple and went away to his
house. As the happy pair had spent the greater part
of the night in wakefulness, it was long after sunrise
that they awoke from their sleep ; — I should have said
that the young wife woke from her sleep, for the prince
had become a cold corpse, life having departed from
him. The feelings of the young wife may be easily
imagined. She shook her husband, imprinted warm
kisses on his cold lips, but in vain. He was as lifeless

^ There are eight forms of marriage spoken of in the Hindu Sastras,
of which the Gandharva is one, consisting in the exchange of garlands.

12 FOLK-TALES OF BENGAL. [i.

as a marble statue. Stricken with horror, she smote
her breast, struck her forehead with the palms of her
hands, tore her hair and went about in the house and
in the garden as if she had gone mad. Dalim*s friend
did not come into the house during the day, as he
deemed it improper to pay a visit to her while her
husband was lying dead. The day seemed to the poor
girl as long as a year, but the longest day has its end,
and when the shades of evening were descending upon
the landscape, her dead husband was awakened into
consciousness ; he rose up from his bed, embraced his
disconsolate wife, ate, drank, and became merry. His
friend made his appearance as usual, and the whole
night was spent in gaiety and festivity. Amid this
alternation of life and death did the prince and his
lady spend some seven or eight years, during which
time the princess presented her husband with two
lovely boys who were the exact image of their
father.

It is superfluous to remark that the king, the two
queens, and other members of the royal household,
did not know that Dalim Kumar was living, at any
rate, was living at night. They all thought that he
was long ago dead and his corpse burnt. But the
heart of Dalim's wife was yearning after her mother-
in-law whom she had never seen. She conceived a
plan by which she might be able not only to have
a sight of her mother-in-law, but also to get hold of

I.] LIFE'S SECRET. 18

the Duo queen's necklace on which her husband's life
was dependent. With the consent of her husband
and of his friend she disguised herself as a female
barber. Like every female barber she took a bundle
containing the following articles : — an iron instrument
for pairing nails, another iron instrument for scraping
oflF the superfluous flesh of the soles of the feet, a piece
of jhama or burnt brick for rubbing the soles of the
feet with, and aldkta^ for painting the edges of the
feet and toes with. Taking this bundle in her hand
she stood at the gate of the king s palace with her two
boys. She declared herself to be a barber, and expressed
a desire to see the Suo queen, who readily gave her an
interview. The queen was quite taken up with the
two little boys, who, she declared, strongly reminded her
of her darling Dalim Kumar. Tears fell profusely from
her eyes at the recollection of her lost treasure ; but she
of course had not the remotest idea that the two little
boys were the sons of her own dear Dalim. She told
the supposed barber that she did not require her
services, as, since the death of her son, she had given
up all terrestrial vanities, and among others the practice
of dyeing her feet red ; but she added that, nevertheless,
she would be glad now and then to see her and her two
fine boys. The female barber, for so we must now call
her, then went to the quarters of the Duo queen and
offered her services. The queen allowed her to pare

^ Alakta is leares or flimsy paper saturated with lac

14 FOLK-TALES OF BENGAL. [i.

her nails, to scrape oflf the superfluous flesh of her feet,
and to paint them with alakta, and was so pleased with
her skill, and the sweetness of her disposition, that she
ordered her to wait upon her periodically. The female
barber noticed with no little concern the necklace
round the queen's neck. The day of her second visit
came on, and she instructed the elder of her two sons
to set up a loud cry in the palace, and not to stop crying
till he got into his hands the Duo queen's necklace.
The female barber, accordingly, went again on the
appointed day to the Duo queen's apartments. While
she was engaged in painting the queen's feet, the elder
boy set up a loud cry. Ou being asked the reason of
the cry, the boy, as previously instructed, said that he
wanted the queen's necklace. The queen said that it
was impossible for her to part with that particular
necklace, for it was the best and most valuable of all
her jewels. To gratify the boy, however, she took it
oflf her neck, and put it into the boy's hand. The boy
stopped crying and held the necklace tight in his hand.
As the female barber after she had done her work was
about to go away, the queen wanted the necklace back.
But the boy would not part with it. When his mother
attempted to snatch it from him, he wept bitterly, and
showed as if his heart would break. On which the
female barber said — "Will your Majesty be gracious
enough to let the boy take the necklace home with
him ? When he falls asleep after drinking his milk.

L] LIFE'S SECRET. 15

which he is sure to do in the course of an hour, I will
carefully bring it back to you." The queen, seeing
that the boy would not allow it to be taken away from
him, agreed to the proposal of the female barber,
especially reflecting that Dalim, whose life depended
on it, had long ago gone to the abodes of death.

Thus possessed of the treasure on which the life of
her husband depended, the woman went with breathless
haste to the garden-house and presented the necklace
to Dalim, who had been restored to life. Their joy
knew no bounds, and by the advice of their friend they
determined the next day to go to the palace in state,
and present themselves to the king and the Suo queen.
Due preparations were made; an elephant, richly
caparisoned, was brought for the prince Dalim Kumar,
a pair of ponies for the two little boys, and a chaturdala ^
furnished with curtains of gold lace for the princess.
Word was sent to the king and the Suo queen that the
prince Dalim Kumar was not only alive, but that he
was coming to visit his royal parents with his wife
and sons. The king and Suo queen could hardly believe
in the report, but being assured of its truth they were
entranced with joy ; while the Duo queen, anticipating
the disclosure of all her wiles, became overwhelmed with
grief. The procession of Dalim Kumar, which was
attended by a band of musicians, approached the

^ A sort of open PaVcij used generally for carrying the bridegroom
and bride in marriage processions.

16 FOLK-TALES OF BENGAL. [i.

palace-gate; and the king and Suo queen went out
to receive their long-lost son. It is needless to say that
their joy was intense. They fell on each other s neck
and wept. Dalim then related all the circumstances
connected with his death. The king, inflamed with
rage, ordered the Duo queen into his presence. A large
hole, as deep as the height of a man, was dug in the
ground. The Duo queen was put into it in a standing
posture. Prickly thorn was heaped around her up to
the crown of her head; and in this manner she was
buried alive.

Thus my story endeth,

The Natiya-thom withereth ;

" Why, Natiya-thom, dost wither?"

** Why does thy cow on me hrowse ? "

** Why, cow, dost thou browse ?

** Why does thy neat-herd not tend me ?

** Why, neat-herd, dost not tend the cow ?

** Why does thy daughter-in-law not give me rice ? "

** Why, daughter-in-law, dost not give rice ? "

** Why does my child cry ? "

" Why, child, dost thou cry ? "

** Why does the ant bite me ? "

" Why, ant, dost thou bite ? "

Kootl kootf Jcootl

11.

PHAKIR CHAND.

There was a king's son, and there was a minister's
son. They loved each other dearly ; they sat together,
they stood up together, they walked together, they ate
together, they slept together, they got up together
In this way they spent many years in each other's
company, till they both felt a desire to see foreign
lands. So one day they set out on their journey.
Though very rich, the one being the son of a king and
the other the son of his chief minister, they did not
take any servants with them ; they went by themselves
on horseback. The horses were beautiful to look at ;
they were pdkshirajes, or kings of birds. The king's
son and the minister's son rode together many days.
They passed through extensive plains covered with
y paddy; through cities, towns, and villages; through
waterless, treeless deserts ; through dense forests which
were the abode of the tiger and the bear. One even-
ing they were overtaken by night in a region where

18 FOLK-TALES OF BENGAL. [ii.

human habitations were not seen ; and as it was getting
darker and darker, they dismounted beneath a lofty
tree, tied their horses to its trunk, and, climbing up,
sat on its branches covered with thick foliage. The
tree grew near a large tank, the water of which was
as clear as the eye of a crow. The king's son and the
minister's son made themselves as comfortable as they
could on the tree, being determined to spend on its
branches the livelong night. They sometimes chatted
together in Avhispers on account of the lonely terrors
of the region ; they sometimes sat demurely silent for
some minutes ; and anon they were falling into a doze,
when their attention was arrested by a terrible sight.

A sound like the rush of many waters was heard
from the middle of the tank. A huge serpent was
seen leaping up from under the water with its hood of
enormous size. It ** lay floating many a rood ; " then
it swam ashore, and went about hissing. But what
most of all attracted the attention of the king's son
and the minister's son was a brilliant manikya (jewel)
on the crested hood of the serpent It shone like a
thousand diamonds. It lit up the tank, its embank-
ments, and the objects round about. The serpent
doffed the jewel from its crest and threw it on the
ground, and then it went about hissing in search of
food. The two friends sitting on the tree greatiy
admired the wonderful brilliant, shedding ineffable
lustre on everything around. They had never before

II.] PHAKIR CHAND. 19

seen anything like it ; they had only heard of it as
equalling the treasures of seven kings. Their admira-
tion, however, was soon changed into sorrow and fear ;
for the serpent came hissing to the foot of the tree on
the branches of which they were seated, and swallowed
up, one by one, the horses tied to the trunk. They
feared that they themselves would be the next victims,
when, to their infinite relief, the gigantic cobra turned
away from the tree, and went about roaming to a great
distance. The ministers son seeing this, bethought
himself of taking possession of the lustrous stone. He
had heard that the only way to hide the brilliant light
of the jewel was to cover it with cow-dung or horse-
dung, a quantity of which latter article he perceived
lying at the foot of the tree. He came down from the
tree softly, picked up the horse-dung, threw it upon
the precious stone, and again climbed into the tree.
The serpent, not perceiving the light of its head-jewel,
rushed with great fury to the spot where it had been
left. Its hissings, groans, and convulsions were terrible.
It went round and round the jewel covered with horse-
dung, and then breathed its last. Early next morning
the king's son and the minister's son alighted from the
tree, and went to the spot where the crest-jewel was.
The mighty serpent lay there perfectly lifeless. The
minister s son took up in his hand the jewel covered
with horse-dung ; and both of them went to the tank to
wash it. When all the horse-dung had been washed off,

20 FOLKTALES OF BENGAL. [ii.

the jewel shone as brilliantly as before. It lit up the
entire bed of the tank, and exposed to their view the
innumerable fishes swimming about in the waters.
But what was their astonishment when they saw, by
the light of the jewel, in the bottom of the tank, the
lofty walls of what seemed a magnificent palace. The
venturesome son of the minister proposed to the prince
that they should dive into the waters and get at the
palace below. They both dived into the waters — the
jewel being in the hand of the minister's son — and in
a moment stood at the gate of the palace. The gate
was open. They saw no being, human or superhuman.
They went inside the gate, and saw a beautiful garden
laid out on the ample grounds round about the house
which was in the centre. The king's son and the
minister s son had never seen such a profusion of
flowers. The rose with its many varieties, the jessa-
mine, the bei, the nudlika, the king of smells, the lily
of the valley, the Champaka, and a thousand other sorts
of sweet-scented flowers were there. And of each of
these flowers there seemed to be a large number. Here
were a hundred rose-bushes, there many acres covered
with the delicious jessamine, while yonder were exten-
sive plantations of all sorts of flowers. As all the plants
were begemmed with flowers, and as the flowers were
in full bloom, the air was loaded with rich perfume.
It was a wilderness of sweets. Through this paradise
of perfumery they proceeded towards the house, which

II ] PHAEIB CHAND. 81

was surrounded by banks of lofty trees. They stood at
the door of the house. It was a fairy palace. The
walls were of burnished gold, and here and there shone
diamonds of dazzling hue which were stuck into the
walls. They did not meet with any beings, human or
other. They went inside, which was richly furnished.
They went from room to room, but they did not see
any one. It seemed to be a deserted house. At last>
however, they found in one room a young lady lying
down, apparently in sleep, on a bed of golden frame-
work. She was of exquisite beauty ; her complexion was
a mixture of red and white ; and her age was apparently
about sixteen. The king's son and the minister's
son gazed upon her with rapture ; but they had not
stood long when this young lady of superb beauty
opened her eyes, which seemed like those of a gazelle.
On seeing the strangers she said : " How have you come
here, ye unfortunate men ? Begone, begone ! This is
the abode of a mighty serpent, which has devoured my
father, my mother, my brothers, and all my relatives ;
I am the only one of my family that he has spared.
Flee for your lives, or else the serpent will put you both
in its capacious maw." The minister's son told the
princess how the serpent had breathed its last ; how he
and his friend had got possession of its head-jewel, and
by its light had come to her palace. She thanked the
strangers for delivering her from the infernal serpent,
and begged of them to live in the house, and never to

22 FOLK-TALES OF BENGAL. [ii.

desert her. The king's son and the minister's son
gladly accepted the invitation. The king's son, smitten
with the charms of the peerless princess, married her
after a short time ; and as there was no priest there,
the hymeneal knot was tied by a simple exchange of
garlands of flowers.

The king's son became inexpressibly happy in the
company of the princess, who was as amiable in her
disposition as she was beautiful in her person ; and
though the wife of the minister's son was living in the
upper world, he too participated in his friend's happi-
ness. Time thus passed merrily, when the king's son
bethought himself of returning to his native country ;
and as it was fit that he should go with his princess in
due pomp, it was determined that the minister's son
should first ascend from the subaqueous regions, go to
the king, and bring with him attendants, horses, and
elephants for the happy pair. The snake-jewel was
therefore had in requisition. The prince, with the jewel
in hand, accompanied the minister's son to the upper
world, and bidding adieu to his friend returned to his
lovely wife in the enchanted palace. Before leaving, the
minister's son appointed the day and the hour when he
would stand on the high embankments of the tank
with horses, elephants, and attendants, and wait upon
the prince and the princess, who were to join him in
the upper world by means of the jewel.

Leaving the minister's son to wend his way to his

II. J PHAKIR CHAND. 23

country and to make preparations for the return of his
king's son, let us see how the happy couple in the
subterranean palace were passing their time. One day,
while the prince was sleeping after his noonday meal,
the princess, who had never seen the upper regions, felt
the desire of visiting them, and the rather as the snake-
jewel, which alone could give her safe conduct through
the waters, was at that moment shedding its bright
effulgence in the room. She took up the jewel in her
hand, left the palace, and successfully reached the upper
world. No mortal caught her sight. She sat on the
flight of steps with which the tank was furnished for
the convenience of bathers, scrubbed her body, washed
her hair, disported in the waters, walked about on the
water's edge, admired all the scenery around, and
returned to her palace, where she found her husband
still locked in the embrace of sleep. When the prince
woke up, she did not tell him a word about her adven-
ture. The following day at the same hour, when her
husband was asleep, she paid a second visit to the upper
world, and ivent back unnoticed by mortal man. As
success made her bold, she repeated her adventure a
third time. It so chanced that on that day the son of
the Rajah, in whose territories the tank was situated,
was out on a hunting excursion, and had pitched his
tent not far from the place. While his attendants were
engaged in cooking their noon-day meal, the Rajah's
son sauntered about on the embankments of the tank,

24 FOLKTALES OF BENGAL. [ir.

near which an old woman was gathering sticks and
dried branches of trees for purposes of fuel. It was
while the Rajah's son and the old woman were near the
tank that the princess paid her third visit to the upper
world. She rose up from the waters, gazed around^ and
seeing a man and a woman on the banks again went
down. The Bajah's son caught a momentary glimpse
of the princess, and so did the old woman gathering
sticks. The Rajah's son stood gazing on the waters.
He had never seen such a beauty. She seemed to him
to be one of those deva-kanyas, heavenly goddesses, of
whom he had read in old books, and who are said now
and then to favour the lower world with their visits
which, like angel visits, are " few and far between." The
unearthly beauty of the princess, though he had seen
her only for a moment, made a deep impression on his
heart, and distracted his mind. He stood there like a
statue, for hours, gazing on the waters, in the hope of
seeing the lovely figure again. But in vain. The
princess did not appear again. The Rajah's son became
mad with love. He kept muttering — " Now here, now
gone I Now here, now gone 1 " He would not leave
the place till he was forcibly removed by the attendants
who had now come to him. He was taken to his
father's palace in a state of hopeless insanity. He spoke
to nobody; he always sobbed heavily; and the only
words which proceeded out of bis mouth — and he was
muttering them every minute — were, " Now here, now

II.] PHAEIB CHAND. 25

gone ! Now here, now gone I " The Bajah's grief
may well be conceived. He could not imagine what
should have deranged his son's mind. The words,
"Now here, now gone," which ever and anon issued
from his son's lips, were a mystery to him ; he could not
unravel their meaning; neither could the attendants
throw any light on the subject. The best physicians oi
the country were consulted, but to no effect. The sons
of ^sculapius could not ascertain the cause of the
madness, far less could they cure it. To the many
inquiries of the physicians, the only reply made by the
Bajah's son was the stereotyped words — "Now here,
now gone ! Now here, now gone ! "

The Rajah, distracted with grief on account of the
obscuration of his son's intellects, caused a proclamation
to be made in the capital by beat of drum, to the effect
that, if any person could explain the cause of his son's
madness and cure it, such a person would be rewarded
with the hand of the Bajah's daughter, and with the
possession of half his kingdom. The drum was beaten
round most parts of the city, but no one touched it, as
no one knew the cause of the madness of the Bajah's
son. At last an old woman touched the drum, and
declared that she would not only discover the cause of
the madness, but cure it. This woman, who was the
identical woman that was gathering sticks near the tank
at the time the Bajah's son lost his reason, had a crack-
brained son of the name of Phakir Chand, and was in

23 FOLK-TALES OF BENGAL. [ii.

consequence called Phakir's mother, or more femiliarly
Phakre's mother. When the woman was brought before
the Rajah, the following conversation took place : —

Rajah. — You are the woman that touched the drum
— ^You know the cause of my son's madness ?

Phakirs Mother. — ^Yes, oh incarnation of justice!
I know the cause, but I will not mention it, till I
have cured your son.

Bajah. — How can I believe that you are able to
cure my son, when the best physicians of the land
have failed?

Phakir's Mother. — You need not now believe, my
lord, till I have performed the cure. Many an old
woman knows secrets with which wise men are un-
acquainted.

Rajah. — Very well, let me see what you can do. In
what time will you perform the cure ?

Phakirs Mother. — It is impossible to fix the time
at present; but I will begin work inmiediately with
your lordship's assistance.

Rajah. — What help do you require from me ?

Phakirs Mother. — ^Your lordship will please order
a hut to be raised on the embankment of the tank
where your son first caught the disease. I mean to
live in that hut for a few daya And your lordship will
also please order some of your servants to be in attend-
ance at a distance of about a hundred yards from the
hut, so that they might be within call.

II.] PHAKIB CHAND. 27

Rajah, — Very well; I will order that to be im-
mediately done. Do you want anything else ?

Phahir's Mother. — Nothing else, my lord, in the way
of preparations. But it is as well to remind your
lordship of the conditions on wliich I undertake the
cure. Your lordship has promised to give to the per-
former of the cure the hand of your daughter and
half your kingdom. As I am a woman and cannot
marry your daughter, I beg that, in case I perform
the cure, my son Phakir Chand may marry your daughter
and take possession of half your kingdom.

Rajah, — Agreed, agreed.

A temporary hut was in a few hours erected on the
embankment of the tank, and Phakir's mother took up
her abode in it. An outpost was also erected at some
distance for servants in attendance who might be re-
quired to give help to the woman. Strict orders were
given by Phakir's mother that no human being should
go near the tank excepting herself. Let us leave
Phakir's mother keeping watch at the tank, and hasten
down into the subterranean palace to see what the
prince and the princess are about. After the mishap
which had occurred on her last visit to the upper world,
the princess had given up the idea of a fourth visit.
But women generally have greater curiosity than men ;
and the princess of the underground palace was no
exception to the general rule. One day, while her
husband was asleep as usual after his noonday meal,

28 FOLK TALES Of BENGAL. [u.

she rushed out of the palace with the snake-jewel in
her hand, and came to the upper world. The moment
the upheaval of the waters in the middle of the tank
took place, Pbakir's mother, who was on the alert,
concealed heiself in the hut and began looking through
the chinks of the matted walL The princess, seeing no
mortal near, came to the bank, and sitting there began
to scrub her body. Phakir's mother showed herself
outside the hut, and addressing the princess, said in a
winning tone — " Come, my child, thou queen of beauty,
come to me, and I will help you to bathe." So saying,
she approached the princess, who, seeing that it was
only a woman, made no resistance. The old woman,
while in the act of washing the hair of the princess,
noticed the bright jewel in her hand, and said — ** Put
the jewel here till you are bathed." In a moment the
jewel was in the possession of Phakir's mother, who
wrapped it up in the cloth that was round her waist.
Knowing the princess to be unable to escape, she gave
the signal to the attendants in waiting, who rushed to
the tank and made the princess a captive.

Great were the rejoicings of the people when the
tidings reached the city that Phakir's mother had
captured a water-nymph from the nether regions. The
whole city came to see the " daughter of the immortals,"
as they called the princess. When she was brought to
the palace and confronted with the Rajah's son of
obscured intellect, the latter said with a shout of

11.] PHAKIR CHAND. 29

exultation — " I have found I I have found I " The
cloud which had settled on his brain was dissipated in
a moment. The eyes, erewhile vacant and lustreless,
now glowed with the fire of intelligence ; his tongue,
of which he had almost lost the use — ^the only words
which he used to utter being, " Now here, now gone I "
— was now relaxed : in a word, he was restored to his
senses. The joy of the Bajah knew no bounds. There
was great festivity in the city; and the people who
showered benedictions on the head of Phakir Chand's
mother, expected the speedy celebration of the marriage
of the Bajah's son with the beauty of the nether world.
The princess, however, told the Bajah, through Phakir^s
mother, that she had made a vow to the effect that she
would not, for one whole year, look at the face of
another man than that of her husband who was dwell-
ing beneath the waters, and that therefore the marnage
could not be performed duiing that period. Though the
Rajah's son was somewhat disappointed, he readily
agreed to the delay, believing, agreeably to the proverb,
that delay would greatly enhance the sweetness of those
pleasures which were in store for him.

It is scarcely necessary to say that the princess spent
her days and her nights in sorrowing and sighing. She
lamented that idle curiosity which had led her to come
to the upper world, leaving her husband below. When
she recollected that her husband was all alone below
the waters she wept bitter tears. She wished she

30 FOLK-TALES OP BENGAL. [ii

could nin away. But that was impossible, as she was
immured within walls, and there were walls within
walls. Besides, if she could get out of the palace and
of the city, of what avail would it be ? She could not
gain her husband, as the serpent jewel was not in her
possession. The ladies of the palace and Phakir s
mother tried to divert her mind, but in vain. She
took pleasure in nothing ; she would hardly speak to
any one; she wept day and night. The year of her
vow was drawing to a close, and yet she was dis-
consolate. The marriage, however, must be celebrated.
The Rajah consulted the astrologers, and the day and
the hour in which the nuptial knot was to be tied
were fixed. Great preparations were made. The
confectioners of the city busied themselves day and
night in preparing sweetmeats ; milkmen took contracts
for supplying the palace with tanks of curds ; gun-
powder was being manufactured for a grand display
of fireworks ; bands of musicians were placed on sheds
erected over the palace gate, who ever and anon sent
forth many " a bout of linked sweetness ; " and the
whole city assumed an air of mirth and festivity.

It is time we should think of the minister's son, who,
leaving his friend in the subterranean palace, had gone
to his country to bring horses, elephants, and attendants
for the return of the king's son and his lovely princess
with due pomp. The preparations took him many
months ; and when everything was ready he started on

II.] PHAKIR CHAND. 31

his journey, accompanied by a long train of elephants,
horses, and attendants. He reached the tank two or
three days before the appointed day. Tents were
pitched in the mango-topes adjoining the tank for the
accommodation of men and cattle ; and the minister's
son always kept his eyes fixed on the tank. The
sun of the appointed day sank below the horizon;
but the prince and the princess dwelling beneath the
waters made no sign. He waited two or three days
longer ; still the prince did not make his appearance.
What could have happened to his friend and his beau-
tiful wife? Were they dead? Had another serpent,
possibly the mate of the one that had died, beaten the
prince and the princess to death ? Had they somehow
lost the serpent-jewel ? Or had they been captured
when they were once on a visit to the upper world ?
Such were the reflections of the minister's son. He
was overwhelmed with grief. Ever since he had come
to the tank he had heard at regular intervals the sound
of music coming from the city which was not distant.
He inquired of passers-by what that music meant. He
was told that the Rajah's son was about to be married
to some wonderful young lady, who had come out of
the waters of that very tank on the bank of which he
was now seated, and that the marriage ceremony was
to be performed on the day following the next. The
minister s son immediately concluded that the wonderful
young lady of the lake that was to be married was none

82 FOLK-TALES OF BENGAL. [il

other than the wife of his friend, the king^s soil He
resolved therefore to go into the city to leam the
details of the affair, and try if possible to rescue the
princess. He told the attendants to go home, taking
with them the elephants and the horses ; and he him-
self went to the city, and took up his abode in the
house of a Brahman.

After he had rested and taken his dinner, the
minister's son asked the Brahman what the meaning
was of the music that was heard in the city at regular
intervals. The Brahman asked, ''From what part of
the work! have you come that you have not heard of
the wonderful circumstance that a young lady of
heavenly beauty rose out of the waters of a tank in
the suburbs, and that she is going to be married the
day after to-morrow to the son of our Rajah ? **

MvnistcT^s Son. — No, I have heard nothing. I have
come from a distant country whither the story has not
reached. Will you kindly tell me the particidars ?

Brahman. — The Rajah's son went out a hunting about
this time last year. He pitched his tents close to a
tank in the suburbs. One day while the Rajah's son
was walking near the tank, he saw a young woman, or
rather goddess, of uncommon beauty rise from the
waters of the tank. She gazed about for a minute or
two and disappeared. The Rajah's son, however, who
had seen her, was so struck with her heavenly beauty
that he became desperately enamoured of her. Indeed,

II.] PHAKIR CHAND. 83

SO intense was his passion, that his reason gave way ;
and he was carried home hopelessly mad. The only
words he uttered day and night were — " Now here,
now gone I " The Rajah sent for all the best phy-
sicians of the country for restoring his son to his reason ; -
but the physicians were powerless. At last he caused
a proclamation to be made by beat of drum to the elBfect
that if any one could cure the Rajah's son, he should
be the Rajah's son-in-law and the owner of half his
kingdom. An old woman, who went by the name of
Phakir's mother, took hold of the drum, and declared
her ability to cure the Rajah's son. On the tank where
the princess had appeared was raised for Phakir's
mother a hut in which she took up her abode ; and not
far from her hut another hut was erected for the
accommodation of attendants who might be required
to help her. It seems the goddess rose from the
waters; Phakir's mother seized her with the help of
the attendants, and carried her in a palki to the palace.
At the sight of her the Rajah's son was restored to his
senses ; and the marriage would have been celebrated
at that time but for a vow which the goddess had made
that she would not look at the face of any male person
till the lapse of a year. The year of the vow is now
over; and the music which you have heard is from
the gate of the Rajah's palace. This, in brief, is
the story.
Minister's Son. — A truly wonderful story ! And has

84 FOLK-TALES OF BENGAL. [u.

Phakir's mother, or rather Phakir Chand himself, been
rewarded with the hand of the Rajah's daughter and
with the possession of half the kingdom ?

Brahman, — No, not vet. Phakir has not been got
hold of. He is a half-witted lad, or rather quite mad.
He has been away for more than a year from his home,
and no one knows where he is. That is his manner;
he stays away for a long time, suddenly comes home,
and again disappears. I believe his mother expects
him soon.

Minister's Son. — ^What like is he ? and what does he
do when he returns home ?

Brahman. — Why, he is about your height, though he
is somewhat younger thaa you. He puts on a small
piece of cloth round his waist, rubs his body with ashes,
takes the branch of a tree in his hand, and, at the door
of the hut in which his mother lives, dances to the
tune oidhoopl dhoopl dhoop ! His articulation is very
indistinct; and when his mother says — "Phakir I stay
with me for some days," he invariably answers in his
usual unintelligible manner, "No, I won't remain, I
won't remain." And when he wishes to give an
aflSrmative answer, he says, "hoom," which means
"yes."

The above conversation with the Brahman poiured a
flood of light into the mind of the minister's son. He
saw how matters stood. He perceived that the princess
of the subterranean palace must have alone ventured

II.] PHAKIR CIIAND. 35

out into the tank by means of the snake-jewel ; that
she must have been captured alone without the king's
son; that the snake-jewel must be in the possession of
Phakir's mother; and that his friend, the king's son,
must be alone below the waters without any means of
escape. The desolate and apparently hopeless state of
his frioDd filled him with unutterable grief. He was
in deep musings during most part of the night. Is it
impossible, thought he, to rescue the king's son from
the nether regions ? What if, by some means or other,
I contrive to get the jewel from the old woman ? And
can I not do it by personating Phakir Chand himself
who is expected by his mother shortly ? And possibly
by the same means I may be able to rescue the princess
from the Rnjah's palace. He resolved to act the rdle
of Phakir Chand the following day. In the morning
he left the Brahman's house, went to the outskii'ts of
the city, divested himself of his usual clothing, put
round his waist a short and narrow piece of cloth which
scarcely reached his knee-joints, rubbed his body well
with ashes, took in his hand a twig which he broke off
a tree, and thus accoutred, presented himself before the
door of the hut of Pliakir's mother. He commenced
operations by dancing, in a most violent manner, to the
tune of dhoop / dhoop ! dhoop ! The dancing attracted
the notice of the old woman who, supposing that her
son had come, said — " My son Phakir, are you come ?
Com®f my darling; the gods have at last become

D 2

36 FOLK-TALES OF BENGAL. [ii.

propitious to us/' The supposed Phakir Chand uttered
the monosyllable " hoom," and went on dancing in a still
more violent manner than before, waving the twig in
his hand. "This time you must not go away," said
the old woman, "you must remain with me." "No, I
won't remain, I won't remain," said the minister's soa.
" Remain with me, and I'll get you married to the
Rajah's daughter. Will you marry, Phakir Chand?"
The minister's son replied — " hoom, hoom," and danced
on like a madman. " Will you come with me to the
Rajah's house ? I'll show you a princess of uncommon
beauty who has risen from the waters." "Hoom,
hoom," was the answer that issued from his lips, while
his feet tripped it violently to the sound of dJioop !
dhoop ! " Do you wish to see a manih, Phakir, the
crest jewel of the serpent, the treasure of seven kings ? "
"Hoom, hoom," was the reply. The old woman
brought out of the hut the snake-jewel, and put it into
the hand of her supposed son. The minister's son
took it, and carefully wrapped it up in the piece of cloth
round his waist. Phakir's mother delighted beyond
measure at the opportune appearance of her son, went
to the Rajah's house, partly to announce to the Rajah
the news of Phakir's appearance, and partly to show
Phakir the princess of the waters. The supposed
Phakir and his mother found ready access to the Rajah's
palace, for the old woman had, since the capture of the
princess, become the most important person in the

II.] PHAKIR CHAND. 87

kingdom. She took him into the room where the
princess was, and introduced him to her. It is super-
fluous to remark that the princess was by no means
pleased with the company of a madcap, who was in a
state of semi-nudity, whose body was rubbed with ashes,
and who was ever and anon dancing in a wild manner.
At sunset the old woman proposed to her son that they
should leave the palace and go to their own house. But
the supposed Phakir Chand refused to comply with the
request ; he said he would stay there that m'ght. His
mother tried to persuade him to return with her, but
he persisted in his determination. He said he would
remain with the princess. Phakir's mother therefore
went away, after giving instructions to the guards and
attendants to take care of her son.

When all in the palace had retired to rest the sup-
posed Phakir coming towards the princess said in his
own usual voice — " Princess ! do you not recognise me ?
I am the minister's son, the friend of your princely
husband." The princess, astonished at the announce-
ment, said — "Who? The minister's son? Oh, ray
husband's best friend, do rescue me from this terrible
captivity, from this worse than death. fate ! it is
by my own fault that I am reduced to this wretched
state. Oh, rescue me, rescue me, thou best of friends ! "
She then burst into tears. The minister's son said,
" Do not be disconsolate. I will try my best to rescue
you this very night ; only you must do whatever I tell

38 FOLK- TALES OF BENGAL. [ii.

you." " I will do anything you tell me, minister s son ;
anything you tell me." After this the supposed Phakir
left the room, and passed through the courtyard of the
palace. Some of the guards challenged him, to whom
he replied, " hoom, hoom ; " "I will just go out for
a minute and again come in presently." They under-
stood that it was the madcap Phakir. True to his word
he did come back shortly, and went to the princess.
An hour afterwards he again went out and was again
challenged, on which he made the same reply as at the
first time. The guards who challenged him began to
mutter between their teeth — " This madcap of a Phakir
will, we suppose, go out and come in all night. Let the
fellow alone ; let him do what he likes. Who can be
sitting up all night for him ? " The minister's son was
going out and coming in with the view of accustoming
the guards to his constant egress and ingress, and also
of watching for a favourable opportunity to escape
with the princess. About three o'clock in the morn-
ing the minister's son again passed through the court-
yard, but this time no one challenged him as all the
guards had fallen asleep. Overjoyed at the auspicious
circumstance, he went to the princess. " Now, princess,
is the time for escape. The guards are all asleep.
Mount on my back, and tie the locks of your hair round
my neck, and keep tight hold of me." Tlie princess
did as she was told. He passed unchallenged through
the courtyard with the lovely burden on his back,

n.] PHAKIR CHAND. 89

passed out of the gate of the palace — no one chal-
lenging him, passed on to the outskirts of the city, and
reached the tank from which the princess had risen.
The princess stood on her legs, rejoicing at her escape,
and at the same time trembling. The minister's son
untied the snake-jewel from his waist-cloth, and descend-
ing into the waters, both he and she found their way to
the subterranean palace. The reception which the
prince in the subaqueous palace gave to his wife and
his friend may be easily imagined. He had nearly died
of grief ; but now he suffered a resurrection. The three
were now mad with joy. During the three days that
they remained in the palace they again and again told
the story of the egress of the. princess into the upper
world, of her seizure, of her captivity in the palace, of
the preparations for marriage, of the old woman, of the
minister's son personating Phakir Chand, and of the
successful deliverance. It is unnecessary to add that
the prince and the princess expressed their gratitude to
the minister's son in the warmest terms, declared him
to be their best and greatest friend, and vowed to abide
always, till the day of their death, by his advice, and to
follow his counsel.

Being resolved to return to their native country, the
king's son, the minister's son and the princess left the
subterranean palace, and, lighted in the passage by the
snake-jewel, made their way good to the upper world.
As they had neither elephants nor horses, they were

40 FOLK-TALES OF BENGAL. [ii.

under the necessity of travelling on foot ; and though
this mode of travelling was troublesome to both the
king's son and the minister's son, as they were bred in
the lap of luxury, it was infinitely more troublesome to
the princess, as the stones of the rough road

" Wounded the invisible
Palms of her tender feet where'er they fell.**

When her feet became very sore, the king's son some-
times took her up on his broad shoulders on which she
sat astride ; but the load, however lovely, was too heavy
to be carried any great distance. She, therefore, for the
most part, travelled on foot.

One evening they bivouacked beneath a tree, as no
human habitations were visible. The minister's son
said to the prince and princess, " Both of you go to
sleep, and I will keep watch in order to prevent any
danger." The royal couple were soon locked in the
arms of sleep. The faithful son of the minister did
not sleep, but sat up watching. It so happened that
on that tree swung the nest of the two immortal birds,
Bihangama and Bihangami, who were not only en-
dowed with the power of human speech, but who could
see into the future. To the no httle astonishment of
the minister's son the two prophetical birds joined in
the following conversation : —

Biha7igama, The minister's son has already risked

II.] PHAKIR CHAND. 41

his own life for the safety of his friend, the king's son •
but he will find it difficult to save the prince at last.

Bihangami, — ^Why so ?

Bihangama, — Many dangers await the king's son.
The prince's father, when he hears of the approach ol
his son, will send for him an elephant, some horses, and
attendants. When the king's son rides on the elephant,
he wiU faU down and die.

Bihangami, — But suppose some one prevents the
king's son from riding on the elephant, and makes him
ride on horseback, will he not in that case be saved ?

Bihangama, — Yes, he will in that case escape that
danger, but a fresh danger awaits him. When the
king's son is in sight of his father's palace, and when
he is in the act of passing through its lion-gate, the
lion-gate will fall upon him and crush him to death.

Bihangami. — But suppose some one destroys the
lion-gate before the king's son goes up to it ; will not
the king's son in that case be saved ?

Bihangama. — Yes, in that case he will escape that
particular danger; but a fresh danger awaits him.
When the king's son reaches the palace and sits at
a feast prepared for him, and when he takes into his
mouth the head of a fish cooked for him, the head of
the fish will stick in his throat and choke him to
death.

Bihangami, — But suppose some one sitting at the
feast snatches the head of the fish from the prince's

42 FOLK-TALES OF BENGAL. [ii.

plate, and thus prevents him from putting it into his
mouth, will not the king's son in that case be saved ?

Bihangama. — Yes, in that case he will escape that
particular danger; but a fresh danger awaits him.
When the prince and princess after dinner retire into
their sleeping apartment, and they lie together in bed,
a terrible cobra will come into the room and bite the
king's son to death.

Bihangami. — But suppose some one lying in wait in
the room cut the snake into pieces, will not the king's
son in that case be saved ?

Bihangama. — Yes, in that case the life of the king's
son will be saved ; but if the man who kills the snake
repeats to the king's son the conversation between you
and me, that man will be turned into a marble statue.

Bihangami, — But is there no means of restoring the
marble statue to life ?

Bihangama, — Yes, the marble statue may be restored
to life if it is washed with the life-blood of the infant
which the princess will give birth to, immediately after
it is ushered into the world.

The conversation of the prophetical birds had ex-
tended thus far when the crows began to caw, the
east put on a reddish hue, and the travellers beneath
the tree bestirred themselves. The conversation stopped,
but the minister's son had heard it all.

The prince, the princess, and the minister's son
pursued their journey in the morning; but they had

II.] PHAKIR CHAND. 48

not walked many hours when they met a procession
consisting of an elephant, a horse, a jpaUd, and a large
number of attendants. These animals and men had
been sent by the king, who had heard that his son,
together with his newly married wife and his friend the
minister's son, were not far from the capital on their
journey homewards. The elephant, which was richly
caparisoned, was intended for the prince ; the palJci, the
framework of which was silver and was gaudily adorned,
was meant for the princess ; and the horse for the
minister s son. As the prince was about to mount on
the elephant, the minister s son went up to him and
said — " Allow me to ride on the elephant, and you please
ride on horseback." The prince was not a little sur-
prised at the coolness of the proposal. He thought his
friend was presuming too much on the services he had
rendered ; he was therefore nettled, but remembering
that his friend had saved both him and his wife, he said
nothing, but quietly mounted the horse, though his
mind became somewhat alienated from him. The pro-
cession started, and after some time came in sight of
the palace, the lion-gate of which had been gaily
adorned for the reception of the prince and the princess.
The minister's son told the prince that the lion-gate
should be broken down before the prince could enter
the palace. The prince was astounded at the proposal,
especially as the minister's son gave no reasons for so
extraordinary a request. His mind became still more

4i FOLK-TALES OF BENGAL. [ii.

estranged from him ; but in consideration of the services
the minister's son had rendered, his request was com-
plied with, and the beautifrd lion gate, with its gay
decorations, was broken down.

The party now went into the palace, where the king
gave a warm reception to his son, to his daughter-in-
law, and to the minister s son. When the story of their
adventures was related, the king and his courtiers
expressed great astonishment, and they all with one
voice extolled the sagacity, prudence, and devotedness
of the minister s son. The ladies of the palace were
struck with the extraordinary beauty of the new comer ;
her complexion was milk and vermilion mixed together ;
her neck was like that of a swan ; her eyes were like
those of a gazelle ; her lips were as red as the berry
himha ; her cheeks were lovely ; her nose was straight
and high ; her hair reached her ankles ; her walk was
as graceful as that of a young elephant — such were the
terms in which the connoisseurs of beauty praised the
princess whom destiny had brought into the midst of
them. They sat around her and put her a thousand
questions regarding her parents, regarding the subter-
ranean palace in which she formerly lived, and the
serpent which had killed all her relatives. It was now
time that the new arrivals should have their dinner.
The dinner was served up in dishes of gold All sorts
of delicacies were there, amongst which the most con-
spicuous was the large head of a rohita fish placed in

II.] PHAKIR CHAND. <5

a golden cup near the prince's plate. While they were
eating, the naiiiister's son suddenly snatched the head
of tke fish from the prince's plate, and said, " Let me,
pribce, eat this rohita's head." The king's son was quite
indignant. He said nothing, however. The minister's
son perceived that his friend was in a terrible rage ; but
he could not help it, as his conduct, however strange,
was necessary to the safety of his friend's life ; neither
could he clear himself by stating the reason of his
behaviour, as in that case he himself would be trans-
formed into a marble statue. The dinner over, the
minister's son expressed his desire to go to his own
house. At other times the king's son would not allow
his firiend to go away in that fashion ; but being shocked
at his strange conduct, he readily agreed to the proposal.
The minister's son, however, had not the slightest notion
of going to his own house ; he was resolved to avert the
last peril that was to threaten the life of his friend.
Accordingly, with a sword in his hand, he stealthily
entered the room in which the prince and the princess
were to sleep that night, and ensconced himself under
the bedstead, which was furnished with mattresses of
down and canopied with mosquito curtains of the
richest silk and gold lace. Soon after dinner the prince
and princess came into the bedroom, and undressing
themselves went to bed. At midnight, while the royal
couple were asleep, the minister's son perceived a snake
of gigantic size enter the room through one of the

46 FOLK-TALES OF BENGAL. [ri.

water-passages, and climb up the tester-frame of the
bed. He rushed out of his hiding-place, killed the
serpent, cut it up in pieces, and put the pieces in the
dish for holding betel-leaves and spices. It so hap-
pened, however, that as the minister's son was cutting
the serpent into pieces, a drop of blood fell on the
breast of the princess, and the rather as the mosquito
curtains had not been let down. Thinking that the
drop of blood might injure the fair princess, he resolved
to lick it up. But as he regarded it as a great sin to
look upon a young woman lying asleep half naked, he
bUndfolded himself with seven-fold cloth, and hcked up
the drop of blood. But while he was in the act of
licking it, the princess awoke and screamed, and her
scream roused her husband lying beside her. The prince
seeing the minister s son, who he thought had gone
away to his own house, bending over the body of his
wife> fell into a great rage, and would have got up and
killed him, had not the minister s son besought him to
restrain his anger, adding — " Friend, I have done this
only in order to save your life." " I do not understand
what you mean," said the prince ; " ever since we came
out of the subterranean palace you have been behaving
in a most extraordinary way. In the first place, you
prevented me from getting upon the richly caparisoned
elephant, though my father, the king, had purposely
sent it for me. I thought, however, that a sense of the
services you had rendered to me had made you exceed-

II.] PHAKIR CHAND. 47

ingly vain ; I therefore let the matter pass, and mounted
the horse. In the second place, you insisted on the
destruction of the fine lion-gate, which my father had
adorned with gay decorations; and I let that matter
also pass. Then, again, at dinner you snatched away,
in a most shameful manner, the rohitas head which
was on my plate, and devoured it yourself, thinking, no
doubt that you were entitled to higher honours than I.
You then pretended that you were going home, for
which I was not at all sorry, as you had made yourself
very disagreeable to me. And now you are actually in
my bedroom, bending over the naked bosom of my wife.
You must have had some evil design ; and you pretend
that you have done this to save my life. I fancy it was
not for saving my life, but for destroying my wife's
chastity." " Oh, do not harbour such thoughts in your
mind against me. The gods know that I have done all
this for the preservation of your life. You would see
the reasonableness of my conduct throughout if I had
the liberty of stating my reasons." " And why are you
not at liberty ? " asked the prince ; " who has shut up
your mouth?" "It is destiny that has shut up my
mouth," answered the minister s son ; " if I were to tell
it all, I should be transformed into a marble statue."
" You would be transformed into a marble statue ! "
exclaimed the prince; "you must take me to be a
simpleton to believe this nonsense." "Do you wish
me then, friend," said the minister's son, "to tell you

48 FOLK-TALES OF BENGAL. [ii.

all ? You must then make up your mind to see your
friend turned into stone." " Come, out with it," said
the prince, "or else you are a dead man." The
minister's son, in order to clear himself of the foul
accusation brought against him, deemed it his duty to
reveal the secret at the risk of his life. He again and
again warned the prince not to press him. But the
prince remained inexorable. The minister's son then
went on to say that, while bivouacking under a lofty
tree one night, he had overheard a conversation between
Bihangama and Bihangami, in which the former pre-
dicted all the dangers that were to threaten the life of
the prince. When the minister's son had related the pre-
diction concerning the mounting upon the elephant, his
lower parts were turned into stone. He then, turning
to the prince said, " See, friend, my lower parts have
already turned into stone." " Go on, go on," said the
prince, " with your story." The minister's son then re-
lated the prophecy regarding the destruction of the lion-
gate, when half of his body was converted into stone.
He then related the prediction regarding the eating of
the head of the fish, when his body up to his neck was
petrified. " Now, friend," said the minister's son, " the
whole of my body, excepting my neck and head, is
petrified ; if I tell the rest, I shall assuredly become a
man of stone. Do you wish me still to go on ? " " Go
on," answered the prince, " go on." " Very well, I will
go on to the end," said the minister's son ; ** but in case

II.] PHAKIR CHAND. 49

you repent after I have become turned into stone, and
wish me to be restored to life, I will tell you of the
manner in which it may be effected. The princess
after a few months will be delivered of a child; if
immediately after the birth of the infant you kill it and
besmear my marble body with its blood, I shall be
restored to life." He then related the prediction re-
garding the serpent in the bedroom ; and when the
last word was on his lips the rest of his body was turned
into stone, and he dropped on the floor a marble image.
The princess jumped out of bed, opened the vessel for
betel-leaves and spices, and saw there pieces of a serpent.
Both the prince and the princess now became convinced
of the good faith and benevolence of their departed
friend. They went to the marble figure, but it was
lifeless. They set up a loud lamentation ; but it was to
no purpose, for the marble moved not. They then
resolved to keep the marble figure concealed in a safe
place, and to besmear it with the blood of their first-
bom child when it should be ushered into existence.

In process of time the hour of the prinoess's travail
came on, and she was delivered of a beautiful boy, the
perfect image of his mother. Both father and mother
were struck with the beauty of their child, and would
fain have spared its life ; but recollecting the vows they
had made on behalf of their best friend, now lying in a
comer of the room a lifeless stone, and the inestimable
services he had rendered to both of them, they cut

50 FOLK-TALES OF BENGAL. [ii.

the child into two, and besmeared the marble figure
of the minister s son with its blood. The marble became
animated in a moment. The ministers son stood
before the prince and princess, who became exceedingly
glad to see their old friend again in life. But the
ministers son, who saw the lovely new-bom babe
lying in a pool of blood, was overwhelmed with grief.
He took up the dead infant, carefully wrapped it up in
a towel, and resolved to get it restored to life.

The minister s son, intent on the re-animation of
his friend's child, consulted all the physicians of the
country ; but they said that they would undertake to
cure any person of any disease so long as life was in
him, but when life was extinct, the case was beyond
their jurisdiction. The minister s son at last bethought
himself of his own wife who was living in a distant
town, and who was a devoted worshipper of the goddess
Kali, who, through his wife's intercession, might be
prevailed upon to give life to the dead child. He,
accordingly, set out on a journey to the town in which
his wife was living in her father s house. Adjoining
that house there was a garden where upon a tree he
hung the dead child wrapped up in a towel. His wife
was overjoyed to see her husband after so long a time ;
but to her surprise she found that he was very melan-
choly, that he spoke very little, and that he was brood-
ing over something in his mind. She asked the reason
of his melancholy, but he kept quiet. One night while

n.] PHAKIR CHAND. 61

they were lying together in bed, the wife got up and
opening the door went out. The husband, who had
little sleep any night in consequence of the weight of
anxiety regarding the re-animation of his firiend*s
child, perceiving his wife go out at that dead hour
of night, determined to follow her without being
noticed. She went to a temple of the goddess Kali
which was at no great distance from her house. She
worshipped the goddess with flowers and sandal-wood
perfume, and said, " O mother Kali ! have mercy
upon me, and deliver me out of all my troubles." The
goddess replied, "Why, what further grievance have
you ? You long prayed for the return of your husband,
and he has returned; what aileth thee now?" The
woman answered "True, O Mother, my husband has
come to me, but he is very moody and melancholy,
hardly speaks to me, takes no delight in me, only sits
moping in a comer." To which the goddess rejoined,
" Ask your husband what the reason of his melancholy
is, and let me know it." The minister's son overheard
the conversation between the goddess and his wife, but
he did not make his appearance ; he quietly slunk away
beifore his wife and went to bed. The following day
the wife asked her husband of the cause of his melan-
choly ; and he related all the particulars regarding the
killing of the infant child of the prince. Next night
at the same dead hour the wife proceeded to Kali's
temple and mentioned to the goddess the reason of her

E 2

62 FOLK-TALES OF BENGAL. [ii.

husband's melancholy; on which the goddess said,
" Bring the child here and I will restore it to life." On
the succeeding night the child was produced before the
goddess Kali, and she called it back to life. Entranced
with joy, the minister s son took up the re-animated
child, went as fast as his legs could carry him to the
prince and princess, and presented to them their child
alive and well. They all rejoiced with exceeding great
joy, and lived together happily till the day of their
death.

. Thus my story endeth,
The Natiya-thom withereth, &o.

III.

THE INDIGENT BRAHMAN.

Thebe was a Brahman who had a wife and four
children. He was very poor. With no resources in
the world, he lived chiefly on the benefactions of the
rich. His gains were considerable when marriages
were celebrated, or funeral ceremonies were performed ;
but as his parishioners did not marry every day, neither
did they die every day, he found it diflBcult to make
the two ends meet. His wife often rebuked him for his
inability to give her adequate support, and his children
often went about naked and hungry. But though poor
he was a good man. He was diligent in his devotions ;
and there was not a single day in his life in which he
did not say his prayers at stated hours. His tutelary
deity was the goddess Durga, the consort of Siva, the
creative Energy of the Universe. On no day did he
either drink water or taste food till he had written in
red ink the name of Durga at least one hundred and

5i FOLK-TALES OF BENGAL. [iii.

eight times ; wliile throughout the' day he incessantly
uttered the ejaculation, " O Durga ! O Durga ! have
mercy upon me/' Whenever he felt anxious on account
of his poverty and his inability to support his wife
and children, he groaned out — " Durga ! Durga !
Durga ! "

One day, being very sad, he went to a forest many
miles distant from the village in which he lived, and
indulging his grief wept bitter tears. He prayed in
the following manner : — " Durga ! O Mother Bhaga-
vati ! wilt thou not make an end of my misery ? Were
I alone in the world, I should not have been sad on
account of poverty ; but thou hast given me a wife and
children. Give me, O Mother, the means to support
them." It so happened that on that day and on that
very spot, the god Siva and his wife Durga were taking
their morning walk. The goddess Durga, on seeing
the Brahman at a distance, said to her divine husband
— " O Lord of Kailas ! do you see that Brahman ?
He is always taking my name on his lips an4 oflFering
the prayer that I should deliver him out of his troubles.
Can we not, my lord, do something for the poor
Brahman, oppressed as he is with the cares of a growing
family? We should give him enough to make him
comfortable. As the poor man and his family have
never enough to eat, I propose that you give him a
handi ^ which should yield him an inexhaustible supply
^ Bandi is an earthen pot, generally used in cooking food.

m.J THE INDIGENT BRAHMAN. 55

of mudhiy^ The lord of Kailas readily agreed to the
proposal of his divine consort, nnd by his decree created
on the spot a Jiandi possessing the required quality.
Durga then, calling the Brahman to her, said, — "O
Brahman ! I have often thought of your pitiable case.
Your repeated prayers have at last moved my com-
passion. Here is a Jcandi for you. When you turn it
upside down and shake it, it will pour down a never-
ceasing shower of the finest mvdki, which will not
end till you restore the handi to its proper position.
Yourself, your wife, and your children can eat as much
mudhi as you like, and you can also sell as much as you
like." The Brahman, dehghted beyond measure at
obtaining so inestimable a treasure, made obeisance
to the gocjdess, and, taking the handi in his hand,
proceeded towards his house as fast as his legs could
carry him. But he had not gone many yards when
he thought of testing the efficacy of the wonderful
vessel. Accordingly he turned the handi upside down
and shook it, when, lo, and behold ! a quantity of the
finest mudki he had ever seen fell to the ground. He
tied the sweetmeat in his sheet and walked on. It
was now noon, and the Brahman was hungry; but he
could not eat without his ablutions and his prayers.
As he saw in the way an inn, and not far from it a
tank, he purposed to halt there that he might bathe,
say his prayers, and then eat the much-desired mudki,

^ Mudki, fried paddy boiled dry in treacle or sugar.

56 FOLK-TALES OF BENGAL. fiu.

The Brahman sat at the innkeeper's shop, put the
handi near him, smoked tobacco, besmeared his body
with mustard oil, and before proceeding to bathe in
the adjacent tank gave the handi in charge to the
innkeeper, begging him again and again to take
especial care of it.

When the Brahman went to his bath and his
devotions, the innkeeper thought it strange that he
should be so careful as to the safety of his earthen
vessel. There must be something valuable in the
handi, he thought, otherwise why should the Brahman
take so much thought about it ? His curiosity being
excited he opened the handi, and to his surprise found
that it contained nothing. What can be the meaning
of this ? thought the innkeeper within himself. Why
should the Brahman care so much for an empty handi t
He took up the vessel, and began to examine it care-
fully; and when, in the course of examination, he
turned the handi upside down, a quantity of the finest
mudki fell from it, and went on falling without inter-
mission. The innkeeper called his wife and children
to witness this unexpected stroke of good fortune. The
showers of the sugared fried paddy were so copious that
they filled all the vessels and jars of the innkeeper.
He resolved to appropriate to himself this precious
handi, and accordingly put in its place another handi of
the same size and make. The ablutions and devotions
of the Brahman being now over, he came to the shop

III.] THE INDIGENT BRAHMAN. 57

in wet clothes reciting holy texts of the Vedas. Putting
on dry clothes, he wrote on a sheet of paper the name
of Durga one hundred and eight times in red ink;
after which he broke his fast on the mvdhi his handi
had already given him. Thus refreshed, and being
about to resume his journey homewards, he called for
his handi which the innkeeper deUvered to him,
adding — " There, sir, is your haridi ; it is just where
you put it; no one has touched it." The Brahman,
without suspecting anything, took up the handi and
proceeded on his journey; and as he walked on, he
congratulated himself on his singular good fortune.
•• How agreeably," he thought within himself, " will my
poor wife be surprised ! " How greedily the children
will devour the mudki of heaven's own manufacture !
I shall soon become rich, and lift up my head with the
best of them all." The pains of travelling were con-
siderably alleviated by these joyful anticipations. He
reached his house, and calling his wife and children,
said — ** Look now at what I have brought. This handi
that you see is an unfailing source of wealth and
contentment. You will see what a stream of the
finest mvdhi will flow from it when I turn it upside
down." The Brahman's good wife, hearing of mudU
falling from the handi unceasingly, thought that her
husband must have gone mad ; and she was confirmed
in her opinion when she found that nothing fell from
the vessel though it was turned upside down again and

53 FOLK-TALES OF BENGAL. [iii.

again. Overwhelmed with grief, the Brahman con-
cluded that the innkeeper must have played a trick
with him ; he must have stolen the handi Durga had
given him, and put a common one in its stead. He
went back the next day to the innkeeper, and charged
him with having changed his handi. The innkeeper
put on a fit of anger, expressed surprise at the
Brahman's impudence in charging him with theft,
and drove him away from his shop.

The Brahman then bethought himself of an inter-
view with the goddess Durga who had given him the
hand% and accordingly went to the forest where he had
met her. Siva and Durga again favoured the Brahman
with an interview. Durga said — "So, you have lost
the handi I gave you. Here is another, take it and
make good use of it." The Brahman, elated with joy,
made obeisance to the divine couple, took up the
vessel, and went on his way. He had not gone far
when he turned it upside down, and shook it in order
to see whether any mudhi would fall from it. Horror
of horrors ! instead of sweetmeats about a score of
demons, of gigantic size and grim visage, jumped out
of the handi, and began to belabour the astonished
Brahman with blows, fisticuffs and kicks. He had the
presence of mind to turn up the handi and to cover it,
when the demons forthwith disappeared. He concluded
that this new handi had been given him only for the pun-
ishment of the innkeeper. He accordingly went to the

ui.] THE INDIGENT BRAnMAN. 59

innkeeper, gave him the new handi in charge, begged
of him carefully to keep it till he returned from his
ablutions and prayers. The innkeeper, delighted with
this second godsend, called his wife and children, and
said — " This is another handi brought here by the same
Brahman who brought the haridi of nuidld. This
time, I hope, it is not mvdki but sandesa} Come, be
ready with baskets and vessels, and I'll turn the handi
upside down and shake it." This was no sooner done
than scores of fierce demons started up, who caught
hold of the innkeeper and his family and belaboured
them mercilessly. They also began upsetting the shop,
and would have completely destroyed it, if the victims
had not besought the Brahman, who had by this time
returned from his ablutions, to show mercy to them and
send away the terrible demons. The Brahman acceded
to the innkeeper's request, he dismissed the demons by
shutting up the vessel ; he got the former handi, and
with the two handis went to his native village.

On reaching home the Brahman shut the door of his
house, turned the mudki-handi upside down and shook
it; the result was an unceasing stream of the finest
mvdki that any confectioner in the country could
produce. The man, his wife, and their children,
devoured the sweetmeat to their hearts' content; all
the available earthen pots and pans of the house were
filled with it ; and the Brahman resolved the next day
^ A sort of sweetmeat made of curds and sugar.

60 FOLK TALES OF BENGAL. [iil

to turn confectioner, to open a shop in his house, and
sell mvdki. On the very day the shop was opened, the
whole village came to the Brahman's house to buy the
wonderful mvdki. They had never seen such mvdki in
their life, it was so sweet, so white, so large, so luscious ;
no confectioner in the village or any town in the
country had ever manufactured anything like it. The
reputation of the Brahman's mvdki extended, in a few
days, beyond the bounds of the village, and people
came from remote parts to purchase it. Cartloads of
the sweetmeat were sold every day, and the Brahman
in a short time became very rich. He built a large
brick house, and lived like a nobleman of the land.
Once, however, his property was about to go to wreck
and ruin. His children one day by mistake shook the
wrong handi, when a large number of demons dropped
down and caught hold of the Brahman's wife and
children and were striking them mercilessly, when
happily the Brahman came into the house and turned
up the handi. In order to prevent a similar catastrophe
in future, the Brahman shut up the demon-handi in a
private room to which his children had no access.

Pure and uninterrupted prosperity, however, is not
the lot of mortals; and though the demon-handi was
put aside, what security was there that an accident
might not befall the mudki-handit One day, during
the absence of the Brahman and his wife from the
house, the children decided upon shaking the handi;

iii.l THE INDIGENT BRAHMAN. 61

but as each of them wished to enjoy the pleasure of
shaking it there was a general stniggle to get it, and in
the rnSl^e the h/indi fell to the ground and broke. It is
needless to say that the Brahman, when on reaching
home he heard of the disaster, became inexpressibly
sad. The children were of course well cudgelled, but
no flogging of children could replace the magical handi.
After some days he again went to the forest, and offered
many a prayer for Durga's favour. At last Siva and
Durga again appeared to him, and heard how the handi
had been broken. Durga gave him another handi,
accompanied with the following caution — "Brahman,
take care of this handi ; if you again break it or lose
it, I'll not give you another." The Brahman made
obeisance, and went away to his house at one stretch
without halting anywhere. On reaching home he shut
the door of his house, called his wife to him, turned the
handi upside down, and began to shake it. They were
only expecting mudki to drop from it, but instead of
mvdJci a perennial stream of beautiful sandesa issued
from it. And such sandesa / No confectioner of Burra
Bazar ever made its like. It was more the food of
gods than of men. The Brahman forthwith set up a
shop for selling sandesa, the fame of which soon drew
crowds of customers from all parts of the country. At
all festivals, at all marriage feasts, at all funeral cele-
brations, at all Pvjas, no one bought any other sandesa
than the Brahman's. Every day, and every hour, many

62 FOLK-TALES OF BENGAL. [ni.

jars of gigantic size, filled with the delicious sweetmeat,
were sent to all parts of the country.

The wealth of the Brahman excited the envy of the
Zemindar of the village who, having heard that the
sandesa was not manufactured but dropped from a
handi, devised a plan for getting possession of the
miraculous vesseL At the celebration of his son's
marriage he held a great feast, to which were invited
hundreds of people. As many mountain-loads of
sandesa would be required for the purpose, the Zemin-
dar proposed that the Brahman should bring the
magical handi to the house in which the feast was
held. The Brahman at first refused to take it there ;
but as the Zemindar insisted on its being carried to his
own house, he reluctantly consented to take it there.
After many Himalayas of sandesa had been shaken
out, the handi was taken possession of by the Zemindar,
and the Brahman was insulted and driven out of the
house. The Brahman, without giving vent to anger in
the least, quietly went to his house, and taking the
deuion-handi in his hand, came back to the door of
the Zemindar's house. He turned the handi upside
down and shook it, on which a hundred demons started
up as from the vasty deep and enacted a scene which
it is impossible to describe. The hundreds of guests
that had been bidden to the feast were caught hold of
by the unearthly visitants and beaten ; the women
were dragged by their hair from the Zenana and

III.] THE INDIGENT BRAHMAN. 63

dashed about amongst the men ; wliilc the big and burly
Zemindar was driven about from room to room like a
bale of cotton. If the demons had been allowed to do
their will only for a few minutes longer, all the men
would have been killed, and the very house razed to
the ground. The Zemindar fell prostrate at the feet of
the Brahman and begged for mercy. Mercy was shown
him and the demons were removed. After that the
Brahman was no more disturbed by the Zemindar or
by any one else; and he lived many years in great
happiness and enjoyment.

Thus my story endeth,

The Natiya-thorn withercth, &c.

TV.

THE STORY OF THE RAKSHASAS.

There was a poor half-witted Brahman who had a
wife but no children. It was only with diflSculty he
could supply the wants of himself and his wife. And the
worst of it was that he was rather lazily inclined. He
was averse to taking long journeys, otherwise he might
always have had enough, in the shape of presents from
rich men, to enable him and his wife to live comfort-
ably. There was at that time a king in a neighbouring
country who was celebrating the funeral obsequies of
his mother with great pomp. Brahmans and beggars
were going from different parts with the expectation
of receiving rich presents. Our Brahman was re-
quested by his wife to seize this opportunity and
get a little money ; but his constitutional indolence
stood in the way. The woman however gave her
husband no rest till she extorted from him the
promise that he would go. The good woman, accord-
ingly, cut down a plantain tree and burnt it to ashes,

IV.] THE STORY OF THE RAKSHASAS. 65

with which ashes she cleaned the clothes of her hus-
hand, and made them as white as any fuller could make
them. She did this because her husband was goiog
to the palace of a great king, who could not be ap-
proached by men clothed in dirty rags; besides, as a
Brahman, he was bound to appear neat and clean.
The Brahman at last one morning left his house
for the palace of the great king. As he was some-
what imbecile, he did not inquire of any one which
road he should take ; but he went on and on, and
proceeded whithersoever his two eyes directed him.
He was of course not on the right road, indeed he
had reached a region where he did not meet with a
single human being for many miles, and where he saw
sights which he had never seen in his life. He saw
hillocks of cowris (shells used as money) on the road-
side : he had not proceeded far from them when he saw
hillocks of pice, then successively hillocks of four-
anna pieces, hillocks of eight-anna pieces, and hillocks
of rupees. To the infinite surprise of the poor Brahman,
these hillocks of shining silver coins were succeeded
by a large hill of burnished gold-mohurs, which were
all as bright as if they had been just issued from the
mint. Close to this hUl of gold-mohurs was a large
house which seemed to be the palace of a powerful
and rich king, at the door of which stood a lady of
exquisite beauty. The lady seeing the Brahman, said,
" Come, my beloved husband ; you married me when

66 FOLK-TALES OF BENGAL. [iv.

I was young, and you never came once after our
mairiage, though I have been daily expecting you.
Blessed be this day which has made me see the fsLce of
my husband. Come, my sweet, come in, wash your feet
and rest after the fatigues of your journey ; eat and
drink, and after that we shall make ourselves meny."
The Brahman was astonished beyond measure. He
had no recollection of having been married in early
youth to any other woman than the woman who was
now keeping house with him. But being a Kulin
Brahman, he thought it was quite possible that his
fieither had got him married when he was a little child,
though the &ct had made no impression on his mind.
But whether he remembered it or not^ the fact was
certain, for the woman declared that she was his wedded
wife, — and such a wife I as beautiful as the goddesses
of Indra's heaven, and no doubt as wealthy as she was
beautifuL While these thoughts were passing through
the Brahman's mind, the lady said again, *Are you
doubting in your mind whether I am your wife ? Is
it possible that all recollection of that happy event has
been e£hced firom your mind — all the pomp and cir-
cumstance of our nuptials ? Come in, beloved ; this
is your own house, for whatever is mine is thine.** The
Brahman succumbed to the loving intieaties of the
£ur lady, and went into the house. The house was not
an ordiiiary one — it was a magnificent palace, all the
apartments being large and lofty and richly furnished.

IV.] THE STORY OP THE RAKSHASAS. 67

But one thing surprised the Brahman very much, and
that was that there was no other person in the house
besides the lady herself. He could not account for so
singular a phenomenon ; neither could he explain how
it was that he did not meet with any human being in
his morning and evening walks. The fact was that the
lady was not a human being. She was a Bakshasi.^
She had eaten up the king, the queen, and all the
members of the royal family, and gradually all his
subjects. This was the reason why human beings
were not seen in those parts.

The Rakshasi and the Brahman lived together for
about a week, when the former said to the latter, " I
am very anxious to see my sister, your other wife.
You must go and fetch her, and we shall all live
together happily in this large and beautiful house.
You must go early to-morrow, and I will give you
clothes and jewels for her.** Next morning the Brah-
man, furnished with fine clothes and costly ornaments,
set out for his home. The poor woman was in great
distress ; all the Brahmans and Pandits that had been
to the funeral ceremony of the king's mother had
returned home loaded with largesses; but her hus-
band had not returned, — and no one could give any

^ Bakahasaa and Bakshasis (male and female) are in Hindu mythology
huge giants and giantesses, or rather demons. The word means
literally raw-eaters; they were probably the chiefs of the aborigines
whom the Aryans overthrew on their first settlement in the country.

F 2

68 FOLK-TALES OF BENGAL. [iv.

news of him for no one had seen him there. The
woman therefore concluded that he must have been
murdered on the road by highwaymen. She was in
this terrible suspense, when one day she heard a
rumour in the village that her husband was seen
coming home with fine clothes and costly jewels for his
wife. And sure enough the Brahman soon appeared
with his valuable load. On seeing his wife the Brah-
man thus accosted her : — " Come with me, my dearest
wife; I have found my first wife. She lives in a
stately palace, near which are hillocks of rupees and a
large hill of gold-mohurs. Why should you pine away
in wretchedness and misery in this horrible place?
Come with me to the house of my first wife, and we
shall all live together happily." When the woman
heard her husband speak of his first wife, of hillocks of
rupees and of a hill of gold-mohurs, she thought in her
mind that her half-witted good man had become quite
mad ; but when she saw the exquisitely beautiful silks
and satins and the ornaments set with diamonds and
precious stones, which only queens and princesses were
in the habit of putting on, she concluded in her mind
that her poor husband had fallen into the meshes of a
Rakshasi. The Brahman, however, insisted on his wife's
going with him, and declared that if she did not come
she was at liberty to pine away in poverty, but that for
himself he meant to return forthwith to his first and
rich wife. The good woman, after a great deal of

IV.] THE STORY OP THE RAKSHASAS. 69

altercation with her husband, resolved to go with him
and judge for herself how matters stood. They set out
accordingly the next morning, and went by the same
road on which the Brahman had travelled. The woman
was not a little surprised to see hillocks of covms, of
pice, of eight-anna pieces, of rupees, and last of all
a lofty hill of gold-mohurs. She saw also an exceed-
ingly beautiful lady coming out of the palace hard by,
and hastening towards her. The lady fell on the neck
of the Brahman woman, wept tears of joy, and said,
" Welcome, beloved sister ! this is the happiest day of
my life 1 I have seen the face of my dearest sister ! "
The party then entered the palace.

What with the stately mansion in which he was
lodged, with the most delectable provisions which
seemed to rise as if by enchantment, what with the
caresses and endearments of his two wives, the one
human and the other demoniac, who vied with each
other in making him happy and comfortable, the Brah-
•nan had a jolly time of it. He was steeped as it "v^ere
in an ocean of enjoyment. Some fifteen or sixteen
years were spent by the Brahman in this state of
Elysian pleasure, during which period his two wives
presented him with two sons. The Rakshasi's son,
who was the elder, and who looked more like a god
than a human being, was named Sahasra Dal, literally
the Thousand-Branched ; and the son of the Brahman
woman, who was a year yoimger, was named Champa

70 FOLK-TALES OF BENGAL. [nr.

Dal, that is, branch of a champaka tree. The two boys
loved each other dearly. They were both sent to a
school which was several miles distant, to which they
used every day to go riding on two little ponies of
extraordinary fleetness.

The Brahman woman had all along suspected from a
thousand little circumstances that her sister-in-law was
not a human being but a Bakshasi ; but her suspicion
had not yet ripened into certainty, for the Bakshasi
exercised great self-restraint on herself, and never did
anything which human beings did not do. But the
demoniac nature, like murder, will out. The Brahman
having nothing to do, in order to pass his time had
recourse to hunting. The first day he returned from
the hunt, he had bagged an antelope. The antelope
was laid in the courtyard of the palace. At the sight
of the antelope the mouth of the raw-eating Bakshasi
began to water. Before the animal was dressed for the
kitchen, she took it away into a room, and began
devouring it. The Brahman woman, who was watching
the whole scene from a secret place, saw her Bakshasi
sister tear ofif a leg of the antelope, and opening her
tremendous jaws, which seemed to her imagination to
extend from earth to heaven, swallow it up. In this
manner the body and other limbs of the antelope were
devoured, till only a little bit of the meat was kept for
the kitchen. The second day another antelope was
bagged, and the third day another; and the Bakshasi,

n-.] THE STORY OF THE RAKSHASAS. 71

unable to restrain her appetite for raw flesh, devoured
these two as she had devoured the first. On the third
day the Brahman woman expressed to the Eakshasi her
surprise at the disappearance of nearly the whole of the
antelope with the exception of a little bit. The
Eakshasi looked fierce and said, " Do I eat raw flesh ? '*
To which the Brahman woman replied — " Perhaps you
do, for aught I know to the contrary." The Eakshasi,
knowing herself to be discovered, looked fiercer than
before, and vowed revenge. The Brahman woman con-
cluded in her mind that the doom of herself, of her
husband and of her son, was sealed. She spent a
miserable night, believing that next day she would be
killed and eaten up, and that her husband and son
would share the same fate. Early next morning before
her son Champa Dal went to school, she gave him in a
small golden vessel a little quantity of her own breast
milk, and told him to be constantly watching its colour.
" Should you," she said, " see the milk get a little red,
then conclude that your father has been killed; and
should you see it grow still redder, then conclude
that I am killed : when you see this, gallop away for
your life as fast as your horse can carry you, for if you
do not, you also will be devoured."

The Eakshasi on getting up from bed — and she had
prevented the Brahman overnight from having any
communication with his wife — proposed that she and
the Brahman should go to bathe in the river which

72 FOLK-TALES OF BENGAL. [nr.

was at some distance. She would take no denial, the
Brahman had therefore to follow her as meekly as a
lamb. The Brahman woman at once saw from the pro-
posal that ruin was impending ; but it was beyond her
power to avert the catastrophe. The Bakshasi, on the
river-side, assuming her own proper gigantic dimen-
sions, took hold of the ill-fated Brahman, tore him
limb by limb, and devoured him up. She then ran to
her house, and seized the Brahman woman, and put her
into her capacious stomach, clothes, hair and alL Young
Champa Dal, who, agreeably to his mother's instruc-
tions, was diligently watching the milk in the small
golden vessel, was horror-struck to find the milk redden
a little. He set up a cry and said that his father was
killed ; a few minutes after finding the milk become
completely red, he cried yet louder, and rushing to his
pony mounted it. His half-brother, Sahasra Dal, sur-
prised at Champa Dai's conduct, said, '* Where are
you going, Champa ? Why are you crying ? Let me
accompany you." " Oh ! do not come to me. Your
mother has devoured my father and mother ; don't you
come and devour me." '* I will not devour you ; I'll
save you." Scarcely had he uttered these words and
galloped away after Champa Dal, when he saw his
mother in her own Bakshasi form appearing at a
distance, and demanding that Champa Dal should come
to her. He said, " I will come to you, not Champa."
So saying he went to his mother, and with his sword.

IV.] THE STORY OF THE RAKSHASAS. 73

which he always wore as a young prince, cut oflf her
head.

Champa Dal had, in the meantime, galloped ofif a
good distance, as he was running for his life; but
Sahasra Dal, by pricking his horse repeatedly, soon
overtook him, and told him that his mother was no
more. This was smsdl consolation to Champa Dal, as
the Bakshasi, before being killed, had devoured both
his father and mother ; still he could not but feel that
Sahasra Dai's friendship was sincere. They both rode
fast, and as their horses were of the breed of pakshirajes
(literally, kings of birds), they travelled over hundreds
of miles. An hour or two before sundown they descried
a village, to which they made up, and became guests in
the house of one of its most respectable inhabitants.
The two friends found the members of that respectable
hjnUy in deep gloom. Evidently there was something
agitating them very much. Some of them held private
consultations, and others were weeping. The eldest lady
of the house, the mother of its head, said aloud, " Let
me go, as I am the eldest. I have lived long enough ;
at the utmost my life would be cut short only by a year
or two." The youngest member of the house, who was
a little girl, said, " Let me go, as I am young and use-
less to the family ; if I die, I shsJl not be missed." The
head of the house, the son of the old lady, said, *' I am
the head and representative of the family, it is but
reasonable that I should give up my life." His younger

74 FOLK-TALES OF BENGAL. • [iv.

brother said, " You are the main prop and pillar of the
family ; if you go the whole family is ruined. It is not
reasonable that you should go ; let me go, as I shall not
be much missed/' The two strangers listened to all
this conversation with no little curiosity. They won-
dered what it all meant. Sahasra Dal at last, at the
risk of being thought meddlesome, ventured to ask the
head of the house the subject of their consultations, and
the reason of the deep misery but too visible in their
countenances and words. The head of the house gave
the following answer : • Know then, worthy guests, that
this part of the country is infested by a terrible Bak-
shasi, who has depopulated all the regions round. This
town, too, would have been depopulated, but that our
king became a suppliant before the Rakshasi, and
begged her to show mercy to us his subjects. The
Bakshasi replied, * I will consent to show mercy to
you and to your subjects only on this condition, that
you every night put a human being, either male or
female, in Sk certain temple for me to feast upon. K I
get a human being every night I will rest satisfied, and
not commit any further depredations on your subjects/
Our king had no other alternative than to agree to this
condition, for what human beings can ever hope to
contend against a Bakshasi ? From that day the king
made it a rule that every femily in the town should in
its turn send one of its ftiembers to the temple as a
victim to appease the wrath and to satisfy the hunger

IV.] THE ST0R7 OF THE RAKSHASAS. 75

of the terrible Kakshasi. All the families in this neigh-
bourhood have had their turn, and this night it is the
turn for one of us to devote himself to destruction.
We are therefore discussing who should go. You must
now perceive the cause of our distress." The two
friends consulted together for a few minutes, and at the
conclusion of their consultations, Sahasra Dal, who was
the spokesman of the party, said, " Most worthy host,
do not any longer be sad: as you have been very
kind to us, we have resolved to requite your hospitality
by ourselves going to the temple and becoming the food
of the Bakshasi. We go as your representatives." The
whole family protested against the proposal. They
declared that guests were like gods, and that it was
the duty of the host to endure all sorts of privation for
the comfort of the guest, and not the duty of the guest
to suffer for the host. But the two strangers insisted
on standing proxy to the family, who, after a great deal
of yea and nay, at last consented to the arrangement.

Immediately after candle-light, Sahasra Dal and
Champa Dal, with their two horses, installed them-
selves in the temple, and shut the door. Sahasra told
his brother to go to sleep, as he himself was determined
to sit up the whole night and watch against the coming
of the terrible Bakshasi. Champa was soon in a fine
sleep, while Sahasra lay awake. Nothiog happened
during the early hours of the night, but no sooner had
the gong of the king's palace announced the dead hour

76 FOLK-TALES OF BENGAL. [iv.

of midnight than Sahasra heard the sound as of a
rushing tempest, and immediately concluded, from his
knowledge of Bakshasas, that the Bakshasi was nigh.
A thundering knock was heard at the door, accompanied
with the following words : —

" How, mow, khow !
A hnman being I smeU ;
Who watches inside ? "

To this question Sahasra Dal made the following
reply : —

** Sahasra Dal watcheth,
Champa Dal watcheth.
Two winged horses watch."

On hearing this answer the Bakshasi turned away
with a groan, knowing that Sahasra Dal had Rakshasa
blood in his veins. An hour after, the Rakshasi returned,
thundered at the door, and called out —

** How, mow, khow !
A human being I smeU ;
Who watcheth inside I "

Sahasra Dal again repUed—

'* Sahasra Dal watcheth,
Champa Dal watcheth.
Two winged horses watch."

The Rakshasi again groaned and went away. At two
o'clock and at three o'clock the Rakshasi again and
again made her appearance, and made the usual inquiry,
and obtaining the same answer, went away with a

IV.] THE STORY OP THE RAKSHASAS. 77

groan. After three o'clock, however, Sahasra Dal felt
very sleepy: he could not any longer keep awake.
He therefore roused Champa, told him to watch, and
strictly enjoined upon him, in reply to the query of the
Bakshasi, to mention Sahasra's name first. With
these instructions he went to sleep. At four o'clock
the Bakshasi again made her appearance, thundered
at the door, and said —

** How, mow, khow !
A human being I smell ;
Who watches inside ? "

As Champa Dal was in a terrible fright, he fbrgot
the instructions of his brother for the moment, and
answered —

" Champa Dal watclieth,
Sahasra Dal watcheth,
Two winged horses watch."

On hearing this reply the Bakshasi uttered a shout
of exultation, laughed such a laugh as only demons can,
and with a dreadful noise broke open the door. The noise
roused Sahasra, who in a moment sprung to his feet,
and with his sword, which was as supple as a palm-leaf,
cut ofif the head of the Bakshasi. The huge mountain of
a body fell to the ground, making a great noise, and lay
covering many an acre. Sahasra Dal kept the severed
head of the Bakshasi near him, and went to sleep.
Early in the morning some wood-cutters, who were
passing near the temple, saw the huge body on the

7$ FOLKTALES OF BENGAL. [iv.

gronncL They could not firom a distance make out
what it was, but on coming near they knew that it
was the carcase of the teirible Rakshasi, who had
by her voracity nearly depopulated the country.
Remembering the promise made by the king that the
killer of the Bakshasi should be rewarded by the hand
of his daughter and with a share of the kingdom, each
of the wood-cutters, seeing no claimant at hand, thought
of obtaining the reward. Accordingly each of them cut
off a part of a limb of the huge carcase, went to the
king, and represented himself to be the destroyer of the
great raw-eater, and claimed the reward. The king, in
order to find out the real hero and deliverer, inquired
of his minister the name of the family whose turn it
was on the preceding night to offer a victim to the
Rakfihasi. The head of that family, on being brought
before the king, related how two youthful travellers,
who were guests in his house, volunteered to go into
the temple in the room of a member of his family. The
door of the temple was broken open ; Sahasra Dal and
Champa Dal and their horses were found all safe ; and
the head of the Rakshasi, which was with them, proved
beyond the shadow of a doubt that they had killed the
monster. The king kept his word. He gave his
daughter in marriage to Sahasra Dal and the sove-
reignty of half his dominions. Champa Dal remained
with his friend in the king's palace, and rejoiced in
his prosperity.

IV.] THE STORY OF THE RAKSHASAS. 79

Sahasra Dal and Champa Dal lived together happily
for some time, when a misunderstanding arose between
them in this wise. There was in the service of the
queen-mother a certain maid-servant who was the
most useful domestic in the palace. There was nothing
which she could not put her hands to and perform.
She had uncommon strength for a woman, neither was
her intelligence of a mean order. She was a woman of
immense activity and energy ; and if she were absent
one day from the palace, the affairs of the zenana
would be in perfect disorder. Hence her services were
highly valued by the queen-mother and all the ladies of
the palace. But this woman was not a woman ; she was
a Eakshasi, who had put on the appearance of a woman
to serve some purposes of her own, and then taken service
in the royal household. At night, when every one in
the palace was asleep, she used to assume her own real
form, and go about in quest of food, for the quantity of
food that is sufficient for either man or woman was not
sufficient for a KakshasL Now Champa Dal having no
wife, was in the habit of sleeping outside the zenana,
and not far from the outer gate of the palace. He had
noticed her going about on Hie premises and devouring
sundry goats and sheep, horses and elephants. The
maid-servant, finding that Champa Dal was in the way
of her supper, determined to get rid of him. She
accordingly went one day to the queen-mother, and
said, " Queen-mother ! I am unable any longer

80 FOLK-TALES OP BENGAL. [iv.

to work in the palace." " Why ? what is the matter,
Daai ? ^ How can I get on without you ? Tell me
your reasons. What ails you ? " " Why/' said the
woman, " nowadays it is impossible for a poor woman
like me to preserve my honour in the palace. There is
that Champa Dal, the friend of your son-in-law; he
always cracks indecent jokes with me. It is better for
me to beg for my rice than to lose my honour. If
Champa Dal remains in the palace I must go away."
As the maid-servant was an absolute necessity in the
palace, the queen-mother resolved to sacrifice Champa
Dal to her. She therefore told Sahasra Dal that
Champa Dal was a bad man, that his character was
loose, and that therefore he must leave the palace.
Sahasra Dal earnestly pleaded on behalf of his friend,
but in vain ; the queen-mother had made up her mind
to drive him out of the palace. Sahasra Dal had not
the courage to speak personally to his friend on the
subject, he therefore wrote a letter to him, in which he
simply said that for certain reasons Champa must leave
the palace immediately. The letter was put in his
room after he had gone to bathe. On reading the
letter Champa Dal, exceedingly grieved, mounted his
fleet horse and left the palace.

As Champa's horse was uncommonly fleet, in a few
hours he traversed thousands of miles, and at last
found himself at the gateway of what seemed a

^ Dasi is a general name for aU maid-servants.

IV.] THE STORY OP THE RAKSHASAS. 81

magnificent palace. Dismounting from his horse, he
entered the house, where he did not meet with a single
creature. He went from apartment to apartment, but
though they were all richly furnished he did not see a
single human being. At last, in one of the side rooms,
he found a young lady of heavenly beauty lying down
on a splendid bedstead. She was asleep. Champa Dal
looked upon the sleeping beauty with rapture — he had
not seen any woman so beautiful. Upon the bed, near
the head of the young lady, were two sticks, one of
silver and the other of gold. Champa took the silver
stick into his hand, and touched with it the body of the
lady; but no change was perceptible. He then took
up the gold stick and laid it upon the lady, when in a
trice she woke up, sat in her bed, and eying the
stranger, inquired who he was. Champa Dal briefly
told his story. The young lady, or rather princess —
for she was nothing less — said, " Unhappy man 1 why
have you come here ? This is the country of Rakshasas,
and in this house and round about there live no less
than seven hundred Bakshasas. They all go away to
the other side of the ocean every momiDg in search of
provisions; and they all return every evening before
dusk. My father was formerly king in these regions,
and had millions of subjects, who lived in flourishing
towns and cities. But some years ago the invasion of
the Rakshasas took place, and they devoured all his
subjects, and himself and my mother, and my brothers

82 FOLK-TALES OF BENGAL. [iv.

and sisters. They devoured also all the cattle of the
country. There is no living human being in these
regions excepting myself; and I too should long ago
have been devoured had not an old Rakshasi, conceiving
strange affection for me, prevented the other Rakshasas
from eating me up. You see those sticks of silver and
gold; the old Rakshasi, when she goes away in the
morning, kills me with the silver stick, and on her
return in the evening re-animates me with the gold
stick. I do not know how to advise you; if the
Rakshasas see you, you are a dead man." Then they
both talked to each other in a very affectionate manner,
and laid their heads together to devise if possible some
means of escape from the hands of the Rakshasas.
The hour of the return of the seven hundred raw-
eaters was fast approaching; and Keshavati — for that
was the name of the princess, so called from the
abundance of her hair — told Champa to hide himself
in the heaps of the sacred trefoil which were lying in
the temple of Siva in the central part of the palace.
Before Champa went to his place of concealment, he
touched Keshavati with the silver stick, on which she
instantly died.

Shortly after sunset Champa Dal heard from beneath
the heaps of the sacred trefoil the sound as of a mighty
rushing wind. Presently he heard terrible noises in
the palace. The Rakshasas had come home from
cruising, after having filled their stomachs, each one,

IV.] THE STORY OP THE RAKSHASAS. 83

with sundry goats, sheep, cows, horses, buffaloes, and
elephants. The old Rakshasi, of whom we have already
spoken, came to Keshavati's room, roused her by
touching her body with the gold stick, and said —

" Hye, mye, khye I -f^' , ' "' ■' ='
A human being I smell."

On which Keshavati said, " I am the only human being
here ; eat me if you Uke." To which the raw-eater
replied, " Let me eat up your enemies ; why should I
eat you ? " She laid herself down on the ground, as
loDg and as high as the Vindhya Hills, and presently
fell asleep. The other Rakshasas and Rakshasis also
soon fell asleep, being all tired out on account of
their gigantic labours in the day. Keshavati also
composed herself to sleep ; while Champa, not daring
to come out of the heaps of leaves, tried his best to
court the god of repose. At daybreak all the raw-
eaters, seven hundred in number, got up and went as
usual to their hunting and predatory excursions, and
along with them went the old Rakshasi, after touching
Keshavati with the silver stick. When Champa Dal
saw that the coast was clear, he came out of the temple,
walked into Keshavati's room, and touched her with
the gold stick, on which she woke up. They sauntered
about in the gardens, enjoying the cool breeze of the
morning; they bathed in a lucid tank which was in
the grounds ; they ate and drank, and spent the day
in sweet converse. They concocted a plan for their

G 2

84 FOLKTALES OF BENGAL. [iv.

deliveraDce. They settled that Keshavati should ask
the old Bakshasi on what the life of a Rakshasa
depended, and when the secret should be made known
they would adopt measures accordingly. As on the
preceding evening, Champa, after touching his fair
friend with the silver stick, took refuge in the temple
beneath the heaps of the sacred trefoil. At dusk the
Bakshasas as usual came home ; and the old Bakshasi,
rousing her pet, said —

** Hye, mye, khye !

A human being I smell."

Keshavati answered, " What other human being is here
excepting myself? Eat me up, if you like." " Wliy
should I eat you, my darling ? Let me eat up all your
enemies." Then she laid down on the ground her huge
body, which looked like a part of the Himalaya
mountains. Keshavati, with a phial of heated mustard
oil, went towards the feet of the Bakshasi, and said,
*' Mother, your feet are sore with walking, let me rub
them with oil." So saying, she began to rub with oil
the Bakshasi's feet ; and while she was in the act of
doing so, a few tear-drops from her eyes fell on the
monster's leg. The Bakshasi smacked the tear-drops
with her lips, and finding the taste briny, said, " Why
are you weeping, darling ? What aileth thee ? " To
which the princess replied, "Mother, I am weeping
because you are old, and when you die, I shall certainly
be devoured by one of the Bakshasas." " When I die !

ly.] THE STORY OF THE RAKSHASAS, 85

Know, foolish girl, that we Rakshasas never die. We
are not naturally immortal, but our life depends on a
secret which no human being can unravel. Let me tell
you what it is that you may be comforted. You know
yonder tank ; there is in the middle of it a Sjohatika-
sthambha} on the top of which in deep waters are two
bees. If any human being can dive into the waters,
and bring up to land the two bees from the pillar in
one breath, and destroy them so that not a drop of
their blood falls to the ground, then we Rakshasas shall
certainly die ; but if a single drop of blood falls to the
ground, then from it will start up a thousand Rakshasas.
But what human being will find out this secret, or,
finding it, will be able to achieve the feat ? You need
not, therefore, darling, be sad ; I am practically
immortal/* Keshavati treasured up the secret in her
memory, and went to sleep.

Early next morning the Rakshasas as usual went
away; Champa came out of his hiding place, roused
Keshavati, and fell a-talking. The princess told him
the secret she had learnt from the Rakshasi. Champa
immediately made preparations for accomplishing the
mighty deed. He brought to the side of the tank
a knife and a quantity of ashes. He disrobed him-
self, put a drop or two of mustard oil into each of
his ears to prevent water from entering in, and dived
into the waters. In a moment he got to the top of

^ Sphatika is crystal, and 8t?ui7nb?ui pillar.

86 FOLK-TALES OF BENGAL. [nr.

the crystal pillar in the middle of the tank; caught
hold of the two bees he found there, and came up in
one breath. Taking the knife he cut up the bees over
the ashes, a drop or two of the blood fell, not on the
ground, but on the ashes. When Champa caught hold
of the bees, a terrible scream was heard at a distance.
This was the wailing of the Bakshasas, who were all
running home to prevent the bees from being killed ;
but before they could reach the palace, the bees had
perished. The moment the bees were killed, all the
Rakshasas died, and their carcases fell on the very
spot on which they were standing. Champa and the
princess afterwards found that the gateway of the
palace was blocked up by the huge carcases of the
Bakshasas, — some of them having nearly succe^ed in
getting to the palace. In tliis manner was effected the
destruction of the seven hundred Rakshasas.

After the destruction of the seven hundred raw-
eating monsters, Champa Dal and Keshavati got
married together by the exchange of garlands of
flowers. The princess, who had never been out of the
•house, naturally expressed a desire to see the outer
world. They used every day to take long walks both
morning and evening ; and as a large river was hard
by Keshavati wished to bathe in it. The first day
they went to bathe, one of Keshavati's hairs came ofi^
and as it is the custom with women never to throw
away a hair unaccompanied with something else, she

IV.] THE STORY OF THE RAKSHASAS. 87

tied the liair to a shell which was floating on the water ;
after which they returned home. In the meantime
the shell with the hair tied to it floated down the
stream, and in course of time reached that ghat^ at
which Sahasra Dal and his companions were in the habit
of performing their ablutions. The shell passed by
when Sahasra Dal and his friends were bathing ; and
he seeing it at some distance said to them, " Whoever
succeeds in catching hold of yonder shell shall be
rewarded with a hundred rupees." They all swam
towards it, and Sahasra Dal being the fleetest swimmer,
got it. On examining it he found a hair tied to it. But
such hair! He had never seen so long a hair. It
was exactly seven cubits long. " The owner of this
hair must be a remarkable woman, and I must see
her," — such was the resolution of Sahasra Dal. He
went home from the river in a pensive mood, and
instead of proceeding to the zenana for breakfast,
remained in the outer part of the palace. The queen-
mother, on hearing that Sahasra Dal was looking
melancholy and had not come to breakfast, went to him
and asked the reason; He showed her the hair, and
said he must see the woman whose head it had adorned.
The queen-mother said, "Very well, you shall have
that lady in the palace as soon as possible. I promise
you to bring her here." The queen mother told her

^ Bathing-place, either in a tank or on the bank of a river, generally
furnished with flights of steps.

88 FOLKTALES OF BENGAL. [nr.

favourite maid-servant, whom she knew to be full of
resources — the same who was a Bakshasi in disguise —
that she must, as soon as possible, bring to the palace
that lady who was the owner of the hair seven cubits
long. The maid- servant said she would be quite able
to fetch her. By her directions a boat was built of
Hajol wood, the oars of which were of Mon Paban
wood. The boat was launched on the stream, and she
went on board of it with some baskets of wicker-work
of curious workmanship ; she also took with her some
sweetmeats into which some poison had been mixed.
She snapped her fingers thrice, and uttered the
following charm : —

*' 'Rout of Eajol t
Oars of Mon Paban f
Takemetothed^Ao//
In which Eesha^ati bathes.'

No sooner had the words been uttered than the boat
flew like lightning over the waters. It went on and
on, leaving behind many a town and city. At last
it stopped at a bathing place, which the Rakshasi
maid-servant concluded was the bathing ghat of Kesha-
vati. She landed with the sweetmeats in her hand.
She went to the gate of the palace, and cried aloud,
"O Keshavati! Keshavati! I am your aunt, your
mother^s sister. I am come to see you, my darling,
after so many years. Are you in, Keshavati ? " The
princess on hearing these words came out of her

IV.] THE STORY OF THE RAKSHASA8. 89

room, and making no doubt that she was her aunt,
embraced and kissed her. They both wept rivers
of joy — at least the Rakshasi maid-servant did, and
Keshavati followed suit through sympathy. Champa
Dal also thought that she was the aunt of his newly
married wife. They all ate and drank and took rest
in the middle of the day. Champa Dal, as was his
habit, went to sleep after breakfast. Towards after-
noon, the supposed aunt said to Keshavati, "Let us
both go to the river and wash ourselves." Keshavati
replied, " How can we go now ? my husband is sleep-
ing." "Never mind," said the aunt, "let him sleep
on ; let me put these sweetmeats, that I have brought,
near his bedside, that he may eat them when he gets
up." They then went to the river side close to the
spot where the boat was. Keshavati, when she saw
from some distance the baskets of wicker work in the
boat, said, '* Aunt, what beautiful things are those ! I
wish I could get some of them." " Come, my child,
come and look at them ; and you can have as many
as you Hke." Keshavati at first refused to go into the
boat, but on being pressed by her aunt, she went. The
moment they two were on board, the aunt snapped her
fingers thrice and said : —

** Boat of JTaJol /
Oars of Mon Pdban /
Take me to the Ohat,
In which Sohasra Dal bathes.'

90 FOLK-TALES OF BENGAL. [iv.

As soon as these magical words were uttered the boat
moved and flew like an arrow over the waters. Kesha-
vati was frightened and began to cry, but the boat
went on and on, leaving behind many towns and
cities, and in a trice reached the ghat where Sahasra
Dal was in the habit of bathing. Keshavati was
taken to the palace ; Sahasra Dal admired her beauty
and the length of her hair ; and the ladies of the
palace tried their best to comfort her. But she set up
a loud cry, and wanted to be taken back to her husband.
At last when she saw that she was a captive, she told
the ladies of the palace that she had taken a vow
that she would not see the face of any strange man for
six months. She was then lodged apart from the rest
in a small house, the window of which overlooked
the road; there she spent the livelong day and also
the livelong night — for she had very little sleep — in
sighing and weeping.

In the meantime when Champa Dal awoke from
sleep, he was distracted with grief at not finding his
wife. He now thought that the woman, who pretended
to be his wife's aunt, was a cheat and an impostor, and
that she must have carried away Keshavati. He did
not eat the sweetmeats, suspecting they might be
poisoned. He threw one of them to a crow which, the
moment it ate it, dropped down dead. He was now
the more confirmed in his unfavourable opinion of the
pretended aunt. Maddened with grief, he rushed out of

IV.] THE STORY OF THE RAKSHASAS. 91

the house, and determined to go whithersoever his eyes
might lead him. Like a madman, always blubbering
" Keshavati ! O Keshavati ! " he travelled on foot day
after day, not knowing whither he went. Six months
were spent in this wearisome travelling when, at the
end of that period, he reached the capital of Sahasra
Dal. He was passing by the palace-gate when the
sighs and wailings of a woman sitting at the window
of a house, on the road-side, attracted his attention.
One moment's look, and they recognised each other.
They continued to hold secret communications. Champa
Dal heard everything, including the story of her vow,
the period of which was to terminate the following
day. It is customary, on the fulfilment of a vow, for
some learned Brahman to make public recitations of
events connected with the vow and the person who
makes it. It was settled that Champa Dal should
take upon himself the functions of the reciter. Ac-
cordingly, next morning, when it was proclaimed by
beat of drum that the king wanted a learned Brahman
who could recite the story of Keshavati on the fulfil-
ment of her vow, Champa Dal touched the drum and
said that he would make the recitation. Next morning
a gorgeous assembly was held in the courtyard of the
palace under a huge canopy of silk. The old king,
Sahasra Dal, all the courtiers and the learned Brahmans
of the country, were present there. Keshavati was
also there behind a screen that she might not be

92 FOLK-TALES OF BENGAL. [iv

exposed to the rude gaze of the people. Champa Dal,
the reciter, sitting on a dais, began the story of Kesha-
vati, as we have related it, from the beginning,
commencing with the words — " There was a poor and
half-witted Brahman, &c/' As he was going on with
the story, the reciter every now and then asked
Keshavati behind the screen whether the story was
correct ; to which question she as often replied, " Quite
correct, go on. Brahman." During the recitation of the
story the Rakshasi maid-servant grew pale, as she
perceived that her real character was discovered ; and
Sahasra Dal was astonished at the knowledge of the
reciter regarding the history of his own life. The
moment the story was finished, Sahasra Dal jumped
up from his seat, and embracing the reciter said,
"You can be none other than my brother Champa
Dal." Then the prince, inflamed with rage, ordered the
maid-servant into his presence. A large hole, as deep
as the height of a man was dug in the ground ; the
maid-servant was put into it in a standing posture;
prickly thorn was heaped around her up to the crown
of her head : in this wise was the maid-servant buried
alive. After this Sahasra Dal and his princess, and
Champa Dal and Keshavati, lived happily together
many years.

Thus my story endeth,

The Natiya-thom withereth, &o.

THE STORY OF SWET-BASANTA.

There was a rich merchant who had an only son
whom he loved passionately. He gave to his son what-
ever he wanted. His son wanted a beautiful house in
the midst of a large garden. The house was built for
him, and the grounds were laid out into a fine garden.
One day as the merchant's son was walking in his
garden, he put his hand into the nest of a small bird
called toontooni, and found in it an egg, which he took
and put in an almirah which was dug into the wall of
his house. He closed the door of the almirah, and
thought no more of the egg.

Though the merchant's son had a house of his own,
he had no separate establishment ; at any rate he kept
no cook, for his mother used to send him regularly his
breakfast and dinner every day. The egg which he
deposited in the wall-almirah one day burst, and out of
it came a beautiful infant, a girl. But the merchant's

94 FOLK-TALES OF BENGAL. [v.

son knew nothing about it. He had forgotten everything
about the egg, and the door of the wall-almirah had
been kept closed, though not locked, ever since the day
the egg was put there. The child grew up within the
wall-almirah without the knowledge of the merchant's
son or of any one else. When the child could walk,
it had the curiosity one day to open the door; and
seeing some food on the floor (the breakfast of the
merchant's son sent by his mother), it came out, and
ate a little of it, and returned to its cell in the wall-
almirah. As the mother of the merchant's son sent
him always more than he could himself eat, he perceived
no diminution in the quantity. The girl of the wall-
almirah used every day to come out and eat a part of the
food, and after eating used to return to her place in the
almirah. But as the girl got older and older, she began
to eat more and more ; hence the merchant's son began
to perceive a diminution in the quantity of his food.
Not dreaming of the existence of the wall-almirah girl,
he wondered that his mother should send him such a
small quantity of food. He sent word to his mother,
complaining of the insufficiency of his meals, and of
the slovenly manner in which the food was served up
in the dish ; for the girl of the wall-almirah used to
finger the rice, curry, and other articles of food, and
as she always went in a hurry back into the almirah
that she might not be perceived by any one, she had
no time to put the rice and the other things into

v.] THE STORY OF SWET-BASAKTA. 96

proper order after she had eaten part of them. The
mother was astonished at her son's complaint, for she
gave always a much larger quantity than she knew her
son could consume, and the food was served up on a
silver plate neatly by her own hand. But as her son
repeated the same complaint day after day, she began
to suspect foul play. She told her son to watch and
see whether any one ate part of it unperceived.
Accordingly, one day when the servant brought the
breakfast and laid it in a clean place on the floor, the
merchant's son, instead of going to bathe as it had
hitherto been his custom, hid himself in a secret place
and began to watch. In a few minutes he saw the door
of the wall-almirah open ; a beautiful damsel of sweet
sixteen stepped out of it, sat on the carpet spread before
the breakfast, and began to eat. The merchant's son
came out of his hiding-place, and the damsel could not
escape. "Who are you, beautiful creature? You do
not seem to be earth-bom. Are you one of the
daughters of the gods ? " asked the merchant's son.
The girl replied, " I do not know who I am. This I
know, that one day I found myself in yonder almirah,
and have been ever since living in it." The merchant's
son thought it strange. He now remembered that six-
teen years before he had put in the almirah an egg he
had found in the nest of a toontooni bird. The un-
common beauty of the wall-almirah girl made a deep
impression on the mind of the merchant's son, and he

96 FOLKTALES OF BENGAL. [v.

resolved in his mind to marry her. The girl no more
went into the almirah, but lived in one of the rooms of
the spacious house of the merchant's son.

The next day the merchant's son sent word to his
mother to the eflfect that he would like to get married.
His mother reproached herself for not having long
before thought of her son's marriage, and sent a message
to her son to the eflfect that she and his father would
the next day send ghataks^ to diflTerent countries to seek
for a suitable bride. The merchant's son sent word
that he had secured for himself a most lovable young
lady, and that if his parents had no objections he would
produce her before them. Accordingly the young lady
of the wall-almirah was taken to the merchant's house ;
and the merchant and his wife were so struck with the
matchless beauty, grace, and loveliness of the stranger,
that, without asking any questions as to her birth, the
nuptials were celebrated.

In course of time the merchant's son had two sons ;
the elder he named Swet and the younger Basanta.
The old merchant died and so did his wife. Swet and
Basanta grew up fine lads, and the elder was in due
time married. Some time after Swet's marriage his
mother, the wall-almirah lady, also died, and the
widower lost no time in marrying a young and beautiful
wife. As Swet's wife was older than his step-mother,
she became the mistress of the house. The step-

^ Professional match-makeis.

V.} THE STORY OF SWET-BASANTA. fi7

mother, like all stepmothers, hated Swet and Basanta
with a perfect hatred ; and the two ladies were naturally
often at loggerheads ¥rith each other.

It so happened one day that a fisherman brought to
the merchant (we shall no longer call him the merchant's
son, as his fia.ther had died) a fish of singular beauty.
It was unlike any other fish that had been seen. The
fish had marvellous qualities ascribed to it by the
fisherman. If any one eats it, said he, when he laughs,
maniks ^ will drop from his mouth, and when he weeps
pearls will drop from his eyes. The merchant hearing
of the wonderful properties of the fish bought it at one
thousand rupees, and put it into the hands of Swet's
wife, who was the mistress of the house, strictly enjoin-
ing on her to cook it well and to give it to him alone
to eat. The mistress, or house-mother, who had over-
heard the conversation between her father-in-law and
the fisherman, secretly resolved in her mind to give the
cooked fish to her husband and to his brother to eat,
and to give to her father-in-law instead a frog daintily
cooked. When she had finished cooking both the fish
and the frog, she heard the noise of a squabble between
her stepmother-in-law and her husband's brother. It
appears that Basanta, who was but a lad yet, was pas-
sionately fond of pigeons, which he tamed. One of

^ Jlianik, or rather manikyaf is a fabulous precious stone of in-
credible value. It is found on the head of some species of snakes, and
is equal in value to the wealth of seven kings.

9a FOLK-TALES OF BENGAL. [v.

these pigeons had flown into the room of his stepmother,
who had secreted it in her clothes. Basanta rushed
into the room, and loudly demanded the pigeon. His
stepmother denied any knowledge of the pigeon, on which
the elder brother, Swet, forcibly took out the bird from
her clothes and gave it to his brother. The stepmother
cursed and swore, and added, " Wait, when the head of
the house comes home I will make him shed the blood
of you both before I give him water to drink." Swet's
wife called her husband and said to him, " My dearest
lord, that woman is a most wicked woman, and has
boundless influence over my father-in-law. She will
make him do what she has threatened. Our life is in
imminent danger. Let us first eat a little, and let us
all three run away from this place." Swet forthwith
called Basanta to him, and told him what he had heard
from his wife. They resolved to run away before night-
fall. The woman placed before her husband and his
brother-in-law the fish of wonderful properties, and
they ate of it heartily. The woman packed up all her
jewels in a box. As there was only one horse, and it
was of uncommon fleetness, the three sat upon it;
Swet held the reins, the woman sat in the middle with
the jewQl-box in her lap, and Basanta brought up
the rear.

The horse galloped with the utmost swiftness. They
passed through many a plain and many a noted town, till
after midnight they found themselves in a forest not

v.] THE STORY OF SWET-BASANTA. 99

far from the bank of a river. Here the most un-
toward event took place. Swet's wife began to feel
the pains of child-birth. They dismounted, and in
an hour or two Swet's wife gave birth to a son.
What were the two brothers to do in this forest?
A fire must be kindled to give heat both to tlie
mother and the new-born baby. But where was the
fire to be got ? There were no human habitations
visible. Still fire must be procured — and it was
the month of December — or else both the mother
and the baby would certainly perish. Swet told
Basanta- to sit beside his wife, while he set out in the
darkness of the night in search of fire.

Swet walked many a mile in darkness. Still he saw
no human habitations. At last the genial light of
Sukra ^ somewhat illumined his path, tod he saw at a
distance what seemed a large city. He was congratu-
lating himself on his journey's end and on his being
able to obtain fire for the benefit of his poor wife lying
cold in the forest with the new-born babe, when on a
sudden an elephant, gorgeously caparisoned, shot across
his path, and gently taking him up by his trunk, placed
him on the rich hawdah ^ on its back. It then walked
rapidly towards the city. Swet was quite taken aback.
He did not understand the meaning of the elephant's
action, and wondered what was in store for him. A

* Venus, the Morning Star.

^ The seat on the back of an elephant.

H 2

100 FOLK-TALES OF BENGAL. [t.

crown was in store for him. In that kingdom, the chief
city of which he was approaching, every morning a king
was elected, for the king of the previous day was
always found dead in the morning in the room of the
queen. What caused the death of the king no one
knew; neither did the queen herself (for every, suc-
cessive king took her to wife) know the cause. And
the elephant who took hold of Swet was the king-
maker. Early in the morning it went about, sometimes
to distant places, and whosoever was brought on its
back was acknowledged king by the people. The
elephant majestically marched through the 'crowded
streets of the city, amid the acclamations of the people,
the meaning of which Swet did not understand,
entered the palace, and placed him on the throne. He
was proclaimed king amid the rejoicings of some and
the lamentations of others. In the course of the day
he heard of the strange fatality which overtook every
night the elected king of those realms, but being pos-
sessed of great discretion and courage he took every
precaution to avert the dreadful catastrophe. Yet he
hardly knew what expedients to adopt, as he was un-
acquainted with the nature of the danger. He resolved,
however, upon two things, and these were, to go armed
into the queen's bedchamber, and to sit up awake the
whole night. The queen was young and of exquisite
beauty, and so guileless and benevolent was the ex-
pression of her face that it was impossible from looking

v.] THE STORY OF SWET-BASANTA. 101

at her to suppose that she could use any foul means of
taking away the life of her nightly consort. In the
queen's chamber Swet spent a very agreeable evening ;
as the night advanced the queen fell asleep, but Swet
kept awake, and was on the alert, looking at every
creek and comer of the room, and expecting every
minute .to be murdered. In the dead of night he
perceived something like a thread coming out of the
left nostril of the queen. The thread was so thin that
it was almost invisible. As he watched it he found it
several yards long, and yet it was coming out. When
the whole of it had come out, it began to grow thick,
and in a few minutes it assumed the form of a huge
serpent. In a moment Swet cut off the head of the
serpent, the body of which wriggled violently. He
sat quiet in the room, expecting other adventures. But
nothing else happened. The queen slept longer than
usual as she had been relieved of the huge snake which
had made her stomach its den. Early next morning
the ministers came expecting as usual to hear of the
king's death ; but when the ladies of the bedchamber
knocked at the door of the queen they were astonished
to see Swet come out. It was then known to all the
people how that every night a terrible snake issued
from the queen's nostrils, how it devoured the king
every night, and how it had at last been killed by the
fortunate Swet. The whole country rejoiced in the
prospect of a permanent king. It is a strange thing.

102 FOLK-TALES OF BENGAL. [v.

nevertheless it is true, that Swet did not remember hia
poor wife with the new bom babe lying in the forest,
nor his brother attending on her. With the possession
of the throne he seemed to forget the whole of his past
history.

Basanta, to whom his brother had entrusted his wife
and child, sat watching for many a weary hour, expect-
ing every moment to see Swet return with fire. The
whole night passed away without his return. At sun-
rise he went to the bank of the river which was close
by, and anxiously looked about for his brother, but in
vain. Distressed beyond measure, he sat on the river
side and wept. A boat was passing by in which a
merchant was returning to his country. As the boat
was not far from the shore the merchant saw Basanta
w^eeping; and what struck the attention of the mer-
chant was the heap of what looked Uke pearls, near the
weeping man. At the request of the merchant the
boatman took his vessel towards the bank ; the
merchant went to the weeping man, and found that
the heap was a heap of real pearls of the finest lustre :
and what astonished him most of all was that the heap
was increasing every second, for the tear-drops that were
falling from his eyes fell to the ground not as tears but
as pearls. The merchant stowed away the heap of
pearls into his boat, and w4th the help of his servants
caught hold of Basanta himself, put him on board the
vessel, and tied him to a post Basanta, of course

v.] THE STORY OF SWET-BASANTA. 103

resisted; but what could lie do against so many?
Thinking of his brother, his brother's wife and baby,
and his own captivity, Basanta wept more bitterly than
before, which mightily pleased the merchant, as the
more tears his captive shed the richer he himself
became. When the merchant reached his native town
he confined Basanta in a room, and at stated hours
every day scourged him in order to make him shed
t^ars, every one of which was converted into a bright
pearl. The merchant one day said to his servants, " As
the fellow is making me rich by his weeping, let us see
what he gives me by laughing." Accordingly he began
to tickle his captive, on which Basanta laughed, and as
he laughed a great many maniks dropped from his
mouth. After this poor Basanta was alternately
whipped and tickled all the day and far into the night ;
and the merchant, in consequence, became the
wealthiest man in the land. Leaving Basanta sub-
jected to the alternate processes of castigation and
titillation, let us attend to the fortunes of the poor
wife of Swet, alone in the forest, with a child just
bom.

Swet's wife, apparently deserted by her husband and her
brother-in-law, was overwhelmed with grief. A woman,
but a few hours since delivered of a child — and her first
child, alone, and in a forest, far from the habitations of
men, — ^her case was indeed pitiable. She wept rivers
of tears. Excessive grief, however, brought her relief.

104 FOLK-TALES OF BENGAL. [v.

She fell asleep with the new- bom baby in her arms. It
so happened that at that hour the Kotwal (prefect of
the police) of the country was passing that way. He
had been very unfortunate with regard to his offspring ;
every child his wife presented him with died shortly
after birth, and he was now going to bury the last
infant on the banks of the river. As he was going, he
saw in the forest ia. woman sleeping with a baby in her
arms. It was a lively and beautiful boy. The Kotwal
coveted the lovely infant. He quietly took it up, put
in its place his own dead child, and returning home,
told his wife that the child had not really died and
had revived. Swet*s wife, unconscious of the deceit
practised upon her by the Kotwal, on waking found
her child dead. The distress of her mind may be
imagined. The whole world became dark to her. She
was distracted with grief, and in her distraction she
formed the resolution of committing suicide. The river
was not far from the spot, and she determined to drown
herself in it. She took in her hand the bundle of
jewels and proceeded to the river-side. An old Brah-
man was at no great distance, performing his morning
ablutions. He noticed the woman going into the
water, and naturally thought that she was going to
bathe ; but when he saw her going far into deep waters,
some suspicion arose in his mind. Discontinuing his
devotions, he bawled out and ordered the woman to
come to him. Swet's wife seeing that it was an old

Tj THE STORY OF SWET-BASANTA. 105

man that was calling her, retraced her steps and
came to him. On being asked what she was about to
do, she said that she was going to make an end ol
herself, and that as she had some jewels with she would
be obliged if he would accept them as a present. At
the request of the old Brahman she related to him her
whole story. The upshot was, that she was prevented
from drowning herself, and that she was received into
the Brahman's family, where she was treated by the
Brahman's wife as her own daughter.

Years passed on. The reputed son of the Kotwal grew
up a vigorous, robust lad. As the house of the old
Brahman was not far from the Kotwal's, the Kotwal's
son used accidentally to meet the handsome strange
woman who passed for the Brahman's daughter. The
lad liked the woman, and wanted to marry her. He
spoke to his father about the woman, and the father
spoke to the Brahman. The Brahman's rage knew no
bounds. What! the infidel Kotwal's son aspiring to
the hand of a Brahman's daughter ! A dwarf may as
well aspire to catch hold of the moon ! But the
Kotwal's son determined to have her by force. With
this wicked object he one day scaled the wall that
encompassed the Brahman's house, and got upon the
thatched roof of the Brahman's cow-house. While he
was reconnoitering from that lofty position, he heard
the following conversation between two calves in the
cow-house : —

lOe FOLK-TALES OF BENGAL. [v.

First CaJJ. — Men accuse us of brutish ignorance and
immorality; but in my opinion men are fifty times worse.

Second Calf, — What makes you say so, brother ?
Have you witnessed to-day any instance of human
depravity ?

First Calf. — Who can be a greater monster of crime
than the same lad who is at this moment standinor on
the thatched roof of this hut over our head ?

Second Calf, — Why, I thought it was only the son ol
our Kotwal ; and I never heard that he was exception-
ally vicious.

First Calf — You never heard, but now you hear from
me. This wicked lad is now wishing to get manied to
his own mother 1

The First Calf then related to the inquisitive Second
Calf in full the story of Swet and Basanta ; how they
and Swet's wife fled from the vengeance of their step-
mother; how Swet's wife was delivered of a child in
the forest by the river-side ; how Swet was made king
by the elephant, and how he succeeded in killing the
serpent which issued out of the queen's nostrils ; how
Basanta was carried away by the merchant, confined in
a dungeon, and alternately flogged and tickled for
pearls and manilcs ; how the Kotwal exchanged his
dead child for the living one of Swet ; how Swet's wife
was prevented from drowning herself in the river by the
Brahman ; how she was received into the Brahman's
family and treated as his daughter; how the Kotwal's

v.] THE STORY OF SWET-BASANTA. 107

son grew up a hardy, lusty youth, and fell in love with
her ; and how at that very moment he was intent on
accomplishing his brutal object. All this story the
Kotwal's son heard from the thatched roof of the cow-
house, and was struck with horror. He forthwith got
down from the thatch, went home and told his father
that he must have an interview with the king. Not-
withstanding his reputed father's protestations to the
contrary, he had an interview with the king, to whom
he repeated the whole story as he had overheard it
from the thatch of the cow-house. The king now
remembered his poor wife's case. She was brought
from the house of the Brahman, whom he richly
rewarded, and put her in her proper position as the
queen of the kingdom ; the reputed son of the Kotwal
was acknowledged as his own son, and proclaimed the
heir-apparent to the throne; Basanta was brought out
of the dungeon, and the wicked merchant who had
maltreated him was buried alive in the earth surrounded
with thorns. After this, Swet, his wife and son, and
Basanta, lived together happily for many years.

Now my story endeth,

The Katiya-thom withcreth, &c.

VI.

THE EVIL EYE OF SANI.

Once upon a time Sani, or Saturn, the god of bad
luck, and Lakshmi, the goddess of good luck, fell out
with each other in heaven. Sani said he was higher in
rank than Lakshmi, and Lakshmi said she was higher
in rank than Sani. As all the gods and goddesses of
heaven were equally ranged on either side, the contend-
ing deities agreed to refer the matter to some human
being who had a name for wisdom and justice. Now,
there lived at that time upon earth a man of the name
of Sribatsa,^ who was as wise and just as he was rich.
Him, therefore, both the god and the goddess chose as
the settler of their dispute. One day, accordingly,
Sribatsa was told that Sani and Lakshmi were wishing
to pay him a visit to get their dispute settled. Sribatsa
was in a fix. If he said Sani was higher in rank than
Lakshmi, she would be angry with him and forsake

^ SH is another name of Lakshmi, and IxUsa means chUd ; so that
Sribatsa is literaUy the ** child of fortune."

VI.] THE EVIL EYE OF SANI. 100

him. If he said Lakshmi was higher in rank than
Sani, Sani would cast his evil eye upon him. Hence
he made up his mind not to say anything directly, but
to leave the god and the goddess to gather his opinion
from his action. He got two stools made, the one of gold
and the other of silver, and placed them beside him.
When Sani and Lakshmi came to Sribatsa, he told
Sani to sit upon the silver stool, and Lakshmi upon the
gold stool. Sani became mad with rage, and said in an
angry tone to Sribatsa, "Well, as you consider me
lower in rank than Lakshmi, I will cast my eye on you
for three years ; and I should like to see how you fare
at the end of that period." The god then went away
in high dudgeon. Lakshimi, before going away, said
to Sribatsa, " My child, do not fear. I'll befriend you."
The god and the goddess then went away.

Sribatsa said to his wife, whose name was Chinta-
mani, " Dearest, as the evil eye of Sani will be upon
me at once, I had better go away from the house ; for
if I remain in the house with you, evil will befall you
and me ; but if I go away, it will overtake me only."
Chintamani said, ** That rcannot be ; wherever you go,
I will go, your lot shall be my lot." The husband tried
hard to persuade his wife to remain at home ; but it
was of no use. She would go with her husband.
Sribatsa accordingly told his wife to make an opening
in their mattress, and to stow away in it all the money
and jewels they had. On the eve of leaving their

110 FOLK-TALES OF BENGAL. [vi.

house, Sribatsa invoked Lakshmi, who forthwith
appeared. He then said to her, ** Mother Lakshmi !
as the evil eye of Sani is upon us, we are going away
into exile ; but do thou befriend us, and take care of
our house and property." The goddess of good luck
answered, "Do not fear; I'll befriend you j all will be
right at last." They then set out on their journey.
Sribatsa rolled up the mattress and put it on his head.
They had not gone many miles when they saw a river
before them. It was not fordable ; but there was a
canoe there with a man sitting in it. The travellers
requested the ferryman to take them across. The
ferryman said, " I can take only one at a time ; but you
are three — yourself, your wife, and the mattress."
Sribatsa proposed that first his wife and the mattress
should be taken across, and then he ; but the ferryman
would not hear of it. '* Only one at a time/' repeated
he ; " first let me take across the mattress." When the
canoe with the mattress was in the middle of the
stream, a fierce gale arose, and carried away the
mattress, the canoe, and the ferryman, no one knows
whither. And it was strange the stream also dis-
appeared, for the place, where they saw a few minutes
since the rush of waters, had now become firm ground.
Sribatsa then knew that this was nothing but the evil
eye of Sani.

Sribatsa and his wife, without a pice in their
pocket, went to a village which was hard by. It was

VI.] THE EVIL EYE OP SANI. Ill

dwelt in for the most part by wood-cutters, who used to
go at sunrise to the forest to cut wood, which they sold
in a town not far from the village. Sribatsa proposed
to the wood-cutters that he should go along with them
to cut wood. They agreed. So he began to fell trees
as well as the best of them ; but there was this dififer-
ence between Sribatsa and the other wood-cutters, that
whereas the latter cut any and every sort of wood, the
former cut only precious wood like sandal-wood. The
wood-cutters used to bring to market large loads of
common wood, and Sribatsa only a few pieces of sandal-
wood, for which he got a great deal more money than
the others. As this was going on day after day, the
wood-cutters through envy plotted together, and drove
away from the village Sribatsa and his wife.

The next place they went to was a village of weavers
or rather cotton-spinners. Here Chintamani, the wife
of Sribatsa, made herself useful by spinning cotton.
And as she was an intelligent and skilful woman, she
spun finer thread than the other women ; and she got
more money. This roused the envy of the native
women of the village. But this was not all. Sribatsa
in order to gain the good grace of the weavers asked
them to a feast, the dishes of which were all cooked
by his wife. As Chintamani excelled in cooking, the
barbarous weavers of the village were quite charmed
by the delicacies set before them. When the men went
to their homes, they reproached their wives for not

112 FOLK-TALES OF BENGAL. [vi.

being able to cook so well as the wife of Sribatsa, and
called them good-for-nothing women. This thing made
the women of the village hate Chintamaitf the more.
One day Chintamani went to the river side to bathe
along with the other women of the village. A boat
had been lying on the bank stranded on the sand for
many days ; tl}ey had tried to move it, but in vain.
It so happened that as Chintamani by accident touched
the boat, it moved oflf to the river. The boatmen,
astonished at the event, thought that the woman had
uncommon power, and might be useful on similar
occasions in future. They therefore caught hold of
her, put her in the boat and rowed oflf. The women
of the village, who were present, did not oflfer any
resistance as they hated Chintamani. When Sribatsa
heard how his wife had been carried away by boatmen,
he became mad with grief. He left the village, went
to the river-side and resolved to follow the course of
the stream till he should meet the boat where his wife
was a prisoner. He travelled on and on, along the side
of the river till it became dark. As there were no huts
to be seen, he climbed into a tree for the night. Next
morning as he got down from the tree he saw at the
foot of it a cow called a Kapila-cow, which never calves,
but which gives milk at all hours of the day whenever
it is milked. Sribatsa milked the cow, and drank its
milk to his heart's content. He was astonished to find
that the cow-dung which lay on the ground was of a

VI.] THE EVIL EYE OF SANI. 113

bright yellow colour ; indeed, he found it was pure gold.
While it was in a soft state he wrote his own name
upon it, and when in the course of the day it became
hardened, it looked like a brick of gold — and so it was.
As the tree grew on the river side, and as the Kapila-
cow came morning and evening to supply him with milk,
Sribatsa resolved to stay there till he should meet the
boat. In the meantime the gold-bricks were increasing
in number every day, for the cow both morning and
evening deposited there the precious article. He put
the gold-bricks, upon all of which his name was
engraved, one upon another in rows, so that from a
distance they looked like a hillock of gold.

Leaving Sribatsa to arrange his gold-bricks under
the tree on the river side we must follow the fortunes
of his wife. Chintamani was a woman of great beauty ;
and thinking that her beauty might be her ruin, she,
when seized by the boatmen, offered to Lakshmi the

following prayer " O Mother Lakshmi ! have pity

upon me. Thou hast made me beautiful, but now my
beauty will undoubtedly prove my ruin by the loss of
honour and chastity. I therefore beseech thee, gracious
Mother, to make me ugly, and to cover my body with
some loathsome disease, that the boatmen may not
touch me." Lakshmi heard Chintamani's prayer ; and
in the twinkling of an eye, while she was in the arms
of the boatmen, her naturally beautiful form was
turned into a vile carcase. The boatmen on putting

lU FOLK-TALES OF BENGAL. [vi.

her down in the boat, found her body covered with
loathsome sores which were giving out a disgusting
stench. They therefore threw her into the hold of the
boat amongst the cargo, where they used morning and
evening to send her a little boiled rice and some water.
In that hold Chintamani had a miserable life of it ;
but she greatly preferred that misery to the loss of
chastity. The boatmen went to some port, sold the
cargo, and were returning to their country when the
sight of what seemed a hillock of gold, not far from
the river side, attracted their attention. Sribatsa,
whose eyes were ever directed towards the river, was
delighted when he saw a boat turn towards the bank,
as he fondly imagined his wife might be in it. The
boatmen went to the hillock of gold, when Sribatsa
said that the gold was his. They put all the gold-
bricks on board their vessel, took Sribatsa prisoner,
and put him into the hold not far from the woman
covered with sores. They of course immediately re-
cognised each other, in spite of the change Chintamani
had undergone, but thought it prudent not to speak to
each other. They communicated their ideas therefore
by signs and gestures. Now, the boatmen were fond
of playing at dice, and as Sribatsa appeared to them
from his looks to be a respectable man, they always
asked him to join in the game. As he was an expert
player, he almost always won the game, on which the
boatmen, envying his superior skill, threw him over-

VI.] THE EVIL EYE OF SANI. 116

board. Chintamani had the presence of mind, at that
moment, to throw into the water a pillow which she had
for resting her head upon. Sribatsa took hold of the
pillow, by means of which he floated down the stream
till he was carried at nightfall to what seemed a garden
on the water's edge. There he stuck among the trees,
where he remained the whole night, wet and shivering.
Now, the garden belonged to an old widow who was in
former years the chief flower-supplier to the king of
that country. Through some cause or other a blight
seemed to have come over her garden, as almost all the
trees and plants ceased flowering ; she had therefore
given up her place as the flower-supplier of the royal
household. On the morning following the night on
which Sribatsa had stuck among the trees, however,
the old woman on getting up from her bed could
scarcely believe her eyes when she saw the whole
garden ablaze with flowers* There was not a single
tree or plant which was not begemmed with flowers.
Not understanding the cause of such a miraculous sight,
she took a walk through the garden, and found on the
river's brink, stuck amoDg the trees, a man shivering
and almost dying with cold. She brought him to her
cottage, lighted a fire toi give him warmth, and showed
him every attention, as she ascribed the wonderful
flowering of her trees to his presence. After making
him as comfortable as she could, she ran to the king's
palace, and told his chief servants that she was again

116 FOLK-TALES OF BENGAL. [vi.

in a position to supply the palace with flowers ; so she
was restored to her former office as the flower-woman
of the royal household. Sribatsa, who stopped a few
days with the woman, requested her to recommend him
to one of the king's ministers for a berth. He was
accOTdingly sent for to the palace, and as he was at
once found to be a man of intelligence, the king's
minister asked him what post he would like to have.
Agreeably to his wish he was appcwted collector of
tolls on the river. While discharging his duties as
river toll-gatherer, in the course of a few days he saw
the very boat in which his wife was a prisoner. He
detained the boat, and charged the boatmen ¥dth the
thefb of gold-bricks which he claimed as his own. At
the mention of gold-bricks the king himself came to
the river side, and was astonished beyond measure to
see bricks made of gold, every one of which had the
inscription — SniBATSA. At the same time Sribatsa
rescued from the boatmen his wife, who, the moment she
came out of the vessel, became as lovely as before. The
king heard the story of Sribatsa's misfortunes from his
Ups, entertained him in a princely style for many days,
and at last sent him and his wife to their own country
with presents of horses and elephants. The evil eye of
Sani was now turned away from Sribatsa, and he again
became what he formerly was, the Child of Fortune.

Thus my story endeth,

The Natiya-thom withereth, &c.

VIL

THE BOY WHOM SEVEN MOTHERS SUCKLED.

Onob on a time there reigned a king who had seven
queens. He was very sad, for the seven queens were
all barren. A holy mendicant, however, one day told
the king that in a certain forest there grew a tree, on a
branch of which hung seven mangoes ; if the king him-
self plucked those mangoes and gave one to each of the
queens they would all become mothers. So the king
went to the forest, plucked the seven mangoes that
grew upon one branch, and gave a mango to each of
the queens to eat. In a short time the king's heart
was filled with joy, as he heard that the seven queens
were all with child.

One day the king was out hunting, when he saw a
young lady of peerless beauty cross his path. He fell
in love with her, brought her to his palace, and married
her. This lady was, however, not a human being, but
a Bakshasi ; but the king of course did not know it.

118 FOLK-TALES OF BENGAL. [vii.

The king became dotingly fond of her ; he did what-
ever she told him. She said one day to the king,
"You say that you love me more than any one else.
Let me see whether you really love me so. If you love
me, make your seven other queens blind, and let them
be killed." The king became very sad at the request
of his best-beloved queen, the more so as the seven
queens were all with child. But there was nothing for
it but to comply with the Rakshasi-queen's request.
The eyes of the seven queens were plucked out of their
sockets, and the queens themselves were delivered up
to the chief minister to be destroyed. But the chief
minister was a merciful man. Instead of killing the
seven queens he hid them in a cave which was on the
side of a hill. In course of time the eldest of the seven
queens gave birth to a child. " What shall I do with
the child," said she, " now that we are blind and are
dying for want of food ? Let me kill the child, and let
us all eat of its flesh." So saying she killed the infant,
and gave to each of her sister-queens a part of the child
to eat. The six ate their portion, but the seventh or
youngest queen did not eat her share, but laid it beside
her. In a few days the second queen also was delivered
of a child, and she did with it as her eldest sister had
done with hers. So did the third, the fourth, the fifth,
and the sixth queen. At last the seventh queen gave
birth to a son ; but she, instead of following the example
of her sister-queens, resolved to nurse the child. The

vn.] THE BOY WHOM SEVEN MOTHERS SUCKLED. 119

other queens demanded their portions of the newly-born
babe. She gave each of them the portion she had got
of the six children which had been killed, and which
she had not eaten but laid aside. The other queens at
once perceived that their portions were dry, and could
not therefore be the parts of the child just bom. The
seventh queen told them that she had made up her
mind not to kill the child but to nurse it. The others
were glad to hear this, and they all said that they
would help her in nursing the child. So the child was
suckled by seven mothers, and it became after some
years the hardiest and strongest boy that ever lived.

In the meantime the Rakshasi wife of the king was
doing infinite mischief to the royal household and to
the capital. What she ate at the royal table did not
fill her capacious stomach. She therefore, in the dark-
ness of night, gradually ate up all the members of the
royal family, all the king's servants and attendants, all
his horses, elephants, and cattle ; till none remained in
the palace except she herself and her royal consort. After
that she used to go out in the evenings into the city
and eat up a stray human being here and there. The
king was left unattended by servants; there was no
person left to cook for him, for no one would take his
service. At last the boy who had been suckled by
seven mothers, and who had now grown up to a stalwart
youth, volunteered his services. He attended on the
king, and took every care to prevent the queen from

120 FOLK-TALES OF BENGAL. [vii.

swallowing him up, for he went away home long before
nightfall; and the Bakshasi-queen never seized her
victims except at night. Hence the queen determined
in some other way to get rid of the boy. As the boy
always boasted that he was equal to any work, however
hard, the queen told him that she was suffering from
some disease which could be cured only by eating a
certain species of melon, which was twelve cubits long,
but the stone of which was thirteen cubits long, and
that that fruit could be had only from her mother, who
lived on the other side of the ocean. She gave him a
letter of introduction to her mother, in which she
requested her to devour the boy the moment he put
the letter into her hands. The boy, suspecting foul
play, tore up the letter and proceeded on his journey.
The dauntless youth passed through many lands, and at
last stood on the shore of the ocean, on the other side
of which was the country of the Rakshasis. He then
bawled as loud as he could, and said " Granny ! granny !
come and save your daughter ; she is dangerously ilL"
An old Bakshasi on the other side of the ocean heard
the words, crossed the ocean, came to the boy, and on
hearing the message took the boy on her back, and
re-crossed the ocean. So the boy was in the country
of the Bakshasis. The twelve-cubit melon with its
thirteen-cubit stone was given to the boy at once, and
he was told to perform the journey back. But the boy
pleaded fatigue, and begged to be allowed to rest one

VII.] THE BOY WHOM SEVEN MOTHERS SUCKLED. 121

day. To this the old Bakshasi consented. Observing
a stout club and a rope hanging in the Rakshasi's
room, the boy inquired what they were there for. She
replied, "Child, by that club and rope I cross the
ocean. If any one takes the club and the rope in his
hands, and addresses them in the following magical
words —

** stout dub 1 strong rope !
Take me at once to the other side,

then immediately the club and rope will take him to
the other side of the ocean." Observing a bird in a
cage hanging in one comer of the room, the boy
inquired what it was. The old Rakshasi replied, " It
contains a secret, child, which must not be disclosed to
mortals, and yet how can I hide it from my own grand-
child? That bird, child, contains the life of your
mother. If the bird is killed, your mother will at
once die." Armed with these secrets, the boy went to
bed that night. Next morning the old Rakshasi,
together with all the other Rakshasis, went to distant
countries for forage. The boy took down the cage from
the ceiling, as well as the club and rope. Having
well secured the bird, he addressed the club and rope
thus —

** stout club 1 strong rope !
Take me at once to the other side."

In the twinkling of an eye the boy was put on this

122 FOLK-TALES OF BENGAL. [vii.

side the ocean. He then retraced his steps, came to
the queen, and gave her, to her astonishment, the
twelve-cubit melon with its thirteen-cubit stone ;
but the cage with the bird in it he kept carefully
concealed.

In the course of time the people of the city came
to the king and said, "A monstrous bird comes out
apparently from the palace every evening, and seizes
the passengers in the streets and swallows them up.
This has been going on for so long a time that the city
has become almost desolate." The king could not
make out what this monstrous bird was. The kind's
servant, the boy, replied that he knew the monstrous
bird, and that he would kill it provided the queen stood
beside the king. By royal command the queen was made
to stand beside the king. The boy then took the bird
from the cage which he had brought from the other side
of the ocean, on seeing which she fell into a fainting fit.
Turning to the king the boy said, " Sire, you will soon
perceive who the monstrous bird is that devours your
subjects every evening. As I tear oflf each limb of this
bird, the corresponding limb of the man-devourer will
fall off." The boy then tore off one leg of the bird in
his hand ; immediately, to the astonishment of the whole
assembly, for the citizens were all present, one of the
legs of the queen fell off. And when the boy squeezed
the throat of the bird, the queen gave up the ghost
The boy then related his own history and that of his

vn.] THE BOY WHOM SEVEN MOTHERS SUCKLED. 128

mother and his stepmothers. The seven queens, whose
eyesight was miraculously restored, were brought back
to the palace ; and the boy that was suckled by seven
mothers was recognised by the king as his rightful
heir. So they lived together happily.

Thus my stoiy endeth,

The Natiya-thom withereth, &c.

VIII.

THE STORY OF PRINCE SOBUR.

Once upon a time there lived a certain merchant

who had seven daughters. One day the merchant put

to his daughters the question : " By whose fortune do

you get your living ? " The eldest daughter answered

— " Papa, I get my living by your fortune." The same

answer was given by the second daughter, the third,

the fourth, the fifth, and the sixth ; but his youngest

daughter said — ** I get my living by my own fortune."

The merchant got very angry with the youngest

daughter, and said to her — " As you are so ungrateful

as to say that you get your living by your own fortune,

let me see how you fare alone. This very day you shall

leave my house without a pice in your pocket." He

forthwith called his palki-bearers, and ordered them to

take away the girl and leave her in the midst of a

forest. The girl begged hard to be allowed to take with

her her work-box containing her needles and threads.

She was allowed to do so. She then got into the palki,

which the bearers lifted on their shoulders. The

bearers had not gone many hundred yards to the tune

VIII.] THE STORY OF PRINCE SOBUR. 126

of " Hoon I boon ! boon ! boon ! boon ! boon ! " wben
an old woman bawled out to tbem and bid tbem stop.
On coming up to the palki, sbe said, *' Wbere are you
taking away my daughter ? " for sbe was tbe nurse of
tbe merchant's youngest child. Tbe bearers replied,
" The merchant has ordered us to take her away and
leave her in tbe midst of a forest ; and we are going to
do bis bidding." " I must go with her," said the old
woman. " How will you be able to keep pace with us,
as we must needs run ? " said the bearers. " Anyhow
I must go wbere my daughter goes," rejoined tbe old
woman. The upshot was that, at the entreaty of tbe
merchant's youngest daughter, the old woman was put
inside the palki along with her. In the afternoon tbe
palki-bearers reached a dense forest. They went far
into it ; and towards sunset they put down the girl and
the old woman at tbe foot of a large tree, and retraced
their steps homewards.

Tbe case of the merchant's youngest daughter was
truly pitiable. She was scarcely fourteen years old;
she had been bred in tbe lap of luxury ; and sbe was
now here at sundown in the heart of what seemed an
interminable forest, with not a penny in her pocket,
and with no other protection than what could be given
her by an old, decrepit, imbecile woman. The very
trees of tbe forest looked upon her with pity. The
gigantic tree, at whose foot she was mingling her tears
with those of tbe old woman, said to her (for trees

126 FOLK-TALES OF BENGAL. [vm.

could speak in those days) — " Unliappy girl ! I much
pity you. In a short time the wild beasts of the forest
will come out of their lairs and roam about for their
prey ; and they are sure to devour you and your com-
panion. But I can help you ; I will make an opening
for you in my trunk. When you see the opening go
into it ; I will then close it up ; and you will jemain safe
inside; nor can the wild beasts touch you" In a
moment the trunk of the tree was split into two. The
merchant's daughter and the old woman went inside
the hollow, on which the tree resumed its natural
shape. When the shades of night darkened the
forest the wild beasts came out of their lairs. The
fierce tiger was there ; the wild bear was there ;
the hard-skinned rhinoceros was there; the bushy
bear was there; the musty elephant was there ;^XV>»
and the homed buffalo was there. They all growled
round about the tree, for they got the scent of human
blood. The merchant's daughter and the old woman
heard from within the tree the growl of the beasts.
The beasts came dashing against the tree ; they broke
its branches ; they pierced its trunk with their horns ;
they scratched its bark with their claws : but in vain.
The merchant's daughter and her old nurse were safe
within. Towards dawn the wild beasts went away.
After sunrise the good tree said to her two inmates,
" Unhappy women, the wild beasts have gone into their
lairs after greatly tormenting me. The sun is up ; you

VIII.] THE STORY OF PRINCE SOBUR. 127

can now come out." So saying the tree split itself into
two, and the merchant's daughter and the old woman
came out. They saw the extent of the mischief done
by the wild beasts to the tree. Many of its branches
had been broken down ; in many places the trunk had
been pierced ; and in other places the bark had been
stripped off. The merchant's daughter said to the tree,
" Good mother, you are truly good to give us shelter at
such a fearful cost. You must be in great pain from
the torture to which the wild beasts subjected you last
night." So saying she went to the tank which was
near the tree, and bringing thence a quantity of mud,
she besmeared the trunk with it, especially those parts
which had been pierced and scratched. After she had
done this, the tree said, " Thank you, my good girl, I
am now greatly relieved of my pain. I am, however,
concerned not so much about myself as about you both.
You must be hungry, not having eaten the whole of
yesterday. And what can I give you ? I have no
fruit of my own to give you. Give to the old woman
whatever money you have, and let her go into the city
hard by and buy some food." They said they had no
money. On searching, however, in the work-box she
found five covjries^ The tree then told the old woman
to go with the cowries to the city and buy some khai}
The old woman went to the city, which was not far,

^ Shells used as money, one hundred and sixty of which conld have
been got a few years ago for one pice. ' Fri«d paddy.

128 FOLK-TALES OF BENGAL. [vm.

and said to one confectioner, "Please give me five
cowries' worth of hhaH' The confectioner langhed at her
and said, " Be off, you old hs^, do you think hhai can
be had for five cowries ? " She tried another shop, and
the shoi)-keep er, thinking the woman to be in great
distress, compassionately gave her a large quantity of
khai for the five cowries.

When the old woman returned with the hhai, the
tree said to the merchant's daughter, " Each of you eat
a little of the hhai, lay by more than half, and strew
the rest on the embankments of the tank all round."
They did as they were bidden, though they did not
understand the reason why they were told to scatter
the hhai on the sides of the tank. They spent
the day in bewailing their fate, and at night they
were housed inside the trunk of the tree as on the
previous night. The wild beasts came as before,
further mutilated the tree, and tortured it as in the
preceding night. But during the night a scene
was being enacted on the embankments of the
tank of which the two women saw the outcome only on
the following morning. Hundreds of peacocks of
gorgeous plumes came to the embankments to eat the
hhai which had been strewed on them; and as they
strove with each other for the tempting food many of
their plumes fell off their bodies. Early in the morning
the tree told the two women to gather the plumes
together, out of which the merchant's daughter made

VIII.] THE STORY OF PRINCE SOBUR. 129

a beautiful fan. This fan was taken into the city to
the palace, where the son of the king admired it greatly
and paid for it a large sum of money. As each morn-
ing a quantity of plumes was collected, every day one
fan was made and sold. So that in a short time the
two women got rich. The tree then advised them to
employ men in building a house for them to live in.
Accordingly bricks were burnt, trees were cut down for
beams and rafters, bricks were reduced to powder, lime
was manufactured, and in a few months a stately,
palace-like house was built for the merchant's daughter
and her old nurse. It was thought advisable to lay out
the adjoining groimds as a garden, and to dig a tank
for supplying them with water.

In the meantime the merchant himself with his wife
and six daughters had been frowned upon by the
goddess of wealth. By a sudden stroke of misfortune
he lost all his money, his house and property were sold,
and he, his wife, and six daughters, were turned adrift
penniless into the world. It so happened that they
lived in a village not far jfrom the place where the two
strange women had built a palace and were digging a
tank. As the once rich merchant was now supporting
his family by the pittance which he obtained every day
for his manual labour, he bethought himself of employ-
ing himself as a day labourer in digging the tank of
the strange lady on the skirts of the forest. His wife
said she would also go to dig the tank with him. So

130 FOLK-TALES OF BENGAL. [vm.

one day while the strange lady was amusing herself from
the window of her palace with looking at the labourers
digging her tank, to her utter surprise she saw her
father and mother coming towards the palace, ap-
parently to engage themselves as day labourers. Tears
ran down her cheeks as she looked at them, for they
were clothed in rags. She immediately sent servants
to bring them inside the house. The poor man and
woman were frightened beyond measure. They saw
that the tank was all ready ; and as it was customary
in those days to offer a human sacrifice when the dig-
ging was over, they thought that they were called inside
in order to be sacrificed. Their fears increased when
they were told to throw away their rags and to put on
fine clothes which were given to them. The strange
lady of the palace, however, soon dispelled their fears ;
for she told them that she was their daughter, fell on
their necks and wept. The rich daughter related her
adventures, and the father felt she was right when she
said that she lived upon her own fortune and not on
that of her father. She gave her father a large fortune,
which enabled him to go to the city in which he for-
merly lived, and to set himself up again as a merchant.
The merchant now bethought himself of going in
his ship to distant countries for purposes of trade. All
was ready. He got on board, ready to start, but,
strange to say, the ship would not move. The mer-
chant was at a loss what to make of this. At last the

VIII.] THE STORY OF PRINCE SOBUR. 131

idea occurred to him that he had asked each of his six
daughters, who were living with him, what thing she
wished he should bring for her ; but he had not asked
that question of his seventh daughter who had made
him rich. He therefore immediately despatched a
messenger to his youngest daughter, asking her what
she wished her father to bring for her on his return
from his mercantile travels. When the messenger
arrived she was engaged in her devotions, and hearing
that a messenger had arrived from her father she said
to him "Sobur,** meaning "wait/" The messenger
understood that she wanted her father to bring for her
something called Sdbwr. He returned to the merchant
and told him that she wanted him to bring for her
Sobur. The ship now moved of itself, and the mer-
chant started on his travels. He visited many ports,
and by selling his goods obtained immense profit. The
things his six daughters wanted him to bring for them
he easily got, but Sobur, the thing which he understood
his youngest daughter wished to have, he could get
nowhere. He asked at every port whether Sohur could
be had there, but the merchants all told him that they
had never heard of such an article of commerce. At
the last port he went through the streets bawling out
— '* Wanted Sobur / wanted Sobur ! " The cry attracted
the notice of the son of the king of that country whose
name was Sobur. The prince, hearing from the mer-
chant that his daughter wanted Sobur, said that he

E 2

132 FOLK-TALES OF BEyCAL. [vin.

had the article in question, and bringing out a small
box of wood containing a magical fan with a looking-
glass in it, said — " This is Sobur which your daughter
wishes to have." The merchant having obtained the
long-wished-for Sobur weighed anchor, and sailed for
his native land. On his arrival he sent to his youngest
daughter the said wonderful box. The daughter,
thinking it to be a common wooden box, laid it aside.
Some days after when she was at leisure she bethought
herself of opening the box which her father had sent
her. When she opened it she saw in it a beautiful
&n, and in it a looking-glass. As she shook the fan, in
a moment the Prince Sobur stood before her, and said
— " You called me, here I am. What's your wish ? "
The merchant's daughter, astonished at the sudden
appearance of a prince of such exquisite beauty, asked
who he was, and how he had made his appeaiunce
there. The prince told her of the circumstances under
which he gave the box to her father, and informed her
of the secret that whenever the fan would be shaken
he would make his appearance. The prince Uved for
a day or two in the house of the merchant's daughter,
who entertained him hospitably. The upshot was, that
they fell in love with each other, and vowed to each
other to be husband and wife. The prince returned to
his royal father and told him that he had selected a
wife for himself. The day for the wedding was fixed.
The merchant and his six daughters were invited.

VIII.] THE STORY OF PRINCE SOBUR. 133

The nuptial knot was tied. But there was death in
the marriage-bed. The six daughters of the merchant,
envying the happy lot of their youngest sister, had
determined to put an end to the life of her newly-
wedded husband. They broke several bottles, reduced
the broken pieces into fine powder, and scattered it
profusely on the bed. The prince, suspecting no
danger, laid himself down in the bed; but he had
scarcely been there two minutes when he felt acute
pain through his whole system, for the fine bottle-
powder had gone through every pore of his body. As
the prince became restless through pain, and was
shrieking aloud, his attendants hastily took him away
to his own country.

The king and queen, the parents of Prince Sobur,
consulted all the physicians and surgeons of the
kingdom ; but in vain. The young prince was day and
night screaming with pain, and no one could ascertain
the disease, far less give him relief. The grief of the
merchant's daughter may be imagined. The marriage
knot had been scarcely tied when her husband was
attacked, as she thought, by a terrible disease and
carried away many hundreds of miles off. Though
she had never seen her husband's country she deter-
mined to go there and nurse him. She put on the
garb of a Sannyasi, and with a dagger in her hand
set out on her journey. Of tender years, and unaccus-
tomed to make long journeys on foot, she soon got

134 FOLK-TALES OF BENGAL. [viii.

weary and sat under a tree to rest. On the top of the
tree was the nest of the divine bird Bihangama and
his mate BihangamL They were not in their nest at
the time, but two of their young ones were in it.
Suddenly the young ones on the top of the tree gave
a scream which roused the half-drowsy merchant's
daughter whom we shall now call the young Sannyasi.
He saw near him a huge serpent raising its hood and
about to climb into the tree. In a moment he cut the
serpent into two, on which the young birds left off
screaming. Shortly after the Bihangama and Bihan-
gami came sailing through the air ; and the latter said
to the former — " I suppose our offspring as usual have
been devoured by our great enemy the serpent. Ah
me ! I do not hear the cries of my young ones." On
nearing the nest, however, they were agreeably sur-
prised to find then- offspring alive. The young ones
told their dams how the young Sannyasi under the
tree had destroyed the serpent. And sure enough the
snake was lymg there cut into two.

The Bihangami then said to her mate — " The young
Sannyasi has saved our offspring from death, I wish
we could do him some service in return." The Bihan-
gama replied, " We shall presently do her service, for
the person under the tree is not a man but a woman.
She got married only last night to Prince Sobur, who, a
few hours after, when jumping into his bed, had every
pore of his body pierced with fine particles of ground

VIII.] THE STORY OF PRINCE SOBUR. 185

bottles which had been spread over his bed by his
envious sisters-in-law. He is still suffering pain in his
native land, and, indeed, is at the point of death. And
his heroic bride taking the garb of a Sannyasi is going
to nurse him." "But," asked the Bihangami, "is
there no cure for the prince?" "Yes, there is,*'
replied the Bihangama : " if our dung which is Ijring
on the ground round about, and which is hardened,
be reduced to powder, and applied by means of a
brush to the body of the prince after bathing him
seven times with seven jars of water and seven jars
of milk, Prince Sobur will undoubtedly get well,*'
" But," asked the Bihangami, " how can the poor
daughter of the merchant walk such a distance ? It
must take her many days, by which time the poor
prince will have died." "I can," replied the Bihan-
gama, " take the young lady on my back, and put her
in the capital of Prince Sobur, and bring her back,
provided she does not take any presents there." The
merchant's daughter, in the garb of a Sannyasi, heard
this conversation between the two birds, and begged
the Bihangama to take her on his baxjk. To this the
bird readily consented. Before mounting on her aerial
car she gathered a quantity of birds' dung and reduced
it to fine powder. Armed with this potent drug she
got up on the back of the kind bird, and sailing
through the air with the rapidity of lightning, soon

136 FOLKTALES OF BENGAL. [vm.

reached the capital of Prince Sobur. The young San-
nyasi went up to the gate of the palace, and sent word
to the king that he was acquainted with potent drugs
and would cure the prince in a few hours. The king,
who had tried all the best doctors in the kingdom
without success, looked upon the Sannyasi as a mere
pretender, but on the advice of his councillors agreed
to give him a trial. The Sannyasi ordered seven jars
of water and seven jars of milk to be brought to him.
He poured the contents of all the jars on the body of
the prince. He then applied, by means of a feather,
the dung-powder he had already prepared to every pore
of the prince's body. Thereafter seven jars of water
and seven jars of milk were again six times poured
upon him. When the prince's body was wiped, he felt
perfectly well. The king ordered that the richest
treasures he had should be presented to the wonderful
doctor; but the Sannyasi refused to take any. He
only wanted a ring from the prince's finger to preserve
as a memorial. The ring was readily given him. The
merchant's daughter hastened to the sea-shore where
the Bihangama was awaiting her. In a moment they
reached the tree of the divine birds. Hence the yoimg
bride walked to her house on the skirts of the forest.
The following day she shook the magical fan, and
forthwith Prince Sobur appeared before her. When
the lady showed him the ring, he learnt with infinite

VIII.] THE STORY OF PRINCE SOBUR. 187

surprise that his own wife was the doctor that cured
him. The prince took away his bride to his palace in
his far-oflf kingdom, forgave his sisters-in-law, lived
happily for scores of years, and was blessed with
children, grand-children, and great-grand-children.

Thus my story endeth,

The Natiya-thorn withereth, &c.

IX.

THE ORIGIN OF OPIUM.*

Once on a time there lived on the banks of the holy
Ganga a Rishi,* who spent his days and nights in the
performance of religious rites and in meditation upon
God. From sunrise to sunset he sat on the river bank
engaged in devotion, and at night he took shelter in a
hut of palm-leaves which his own hand had raised in
a bush hard by. There were no men and women for
miles round. In the hut, however, there was a mouse,
which used to live upoD the leavings of the Eishi's supper.
As it was not in the nature of the sage to hurt any
living thing, our mouse never ran away from him, but,
on the contrary, went to him, touched his feet, and
played with him. The Rishi, partly in kindness to the
little brute, and partly to have some one by to talk to at
times, gave the mouse the power of speech. One night

* This story is not my own. It was recited to me by a story-teUer
of the other sex who rejoices in the nom de plume "An Inmate of the
Calcutta Lunatic Asylum.''

' A holy sage.

IX.] THE ORIGIN OF OPIUM. 189

the mouse, standing on its hind-legs and joining together
its fore-legs reverently, said to the Eishi, " Holy sage,
you have been so kind as to give me the power to speak
like men. If it will not displease your reverence, I
have one more boon to ask." "What is it?" said the
Rishi. " What is it, little mousie ? Say what you
want." The mouse answered — " When your reverence
goes in the day to the river side for devotion, a cat
comes to the hut to catch me. And had it not been for
fear of your reverence, the cat would have eaten me up
long ago; and I fear it will eat me some day. My
prayer is that I may be changed into a cat that I may
prove a match for my foe.*' The Rishi became propitious
to the mouse, and threw some holy water on its body,
and it was at once changed into a cat.

Some nights after, the Rishi asked his pet, " Well,
little puss, how do you like your present life ? " " Not
much, your reverence," answered the cat. " Why not ? "
demanded the sage. " Are you not strong enough to
hold your own against all the cats in the world?"
"Yes," rejoined the cat. "Your reverence has made
me a strong cat, able to cope with all the cats in the
world. But I do not now fear cats ; I have got a new
foe. Whenever your reverence goes to the river side,
a pack of dogs comes to the hut, and sets up such a
loud barking that I am frightened out of my life. If
your reverence will not be displeased with me, I beg
you to change me into a dog." The Rishi said, " Bo

140 FOLK-TALES OF BENGAL. [ix.

tamed into a dog," and the cat forthwith became
a dog.

Some days passed, when one night the dog said thus
to the Rishi : " I cannot thank your reverence enough
for your kindness to me. I was but a poor mouse, and
you not only gave me speech but turned me into a cat ;
and again you were kind enough to change me into a
dog. As a dog, however, I suflfer a great deal of trouble,
I do not get enough food : my only food is the leavings
of your supper, but that is not sufficient to fill the maw
of such a large beast as you have made me. O how I
envy those apes who jump about from tree to tree, and
eat all sorts of delicious fruits ! If your reverence will
not get angry with me, I pray that I be changed into an
ape." The kind-hearted sage readily granted his pet's
wish, and the dog became an ape.

Our ape was at first wild with joy. He leaped from
one tree to another, and sucked every luscious fruit he
could find. But his joy was short-lived. Summer came
on with its drought. As a monkey he found it hard to
drink water out of a river or of a pool ; and he saw the
wild boars splashing in the water all the day long.
He envied their lot, and exclaimed, *'0 how happy
those boars are ! All day their bodies are cooled
and refreshed by water. I wish I were a boar."
Accordingly at night he recounted to the Bishi the
troubles of the life of an ape and the pleasures of that
of a boar, and begged of him to change him into a boar.

IX.] THE ORIGIN OP OPIUM. 141

The sago, whose kindness knew no bounds, complied
with his pet* 8 request, and turned him into a wild boar.
For two whole days our boar kept his body soaking wet,
and on the third day, as he was splashing about in his
favourite element, whom should he see but the king of
the country riding on a richly caparisoned elephant.
The king was out hunting, and it was only by a lucky
chance that our boar escaped being bagged. He dwelt
in his own mind on. the dangers attending the life of a
wild boar, and envied the lot of the stately elephant
who was so fortunate as to carry about the king of the
country on his back. He longed to be an elephant,
and at night besought the Eishi to make him one.

Our elephant was roaming about in the wilderness,
when he saw the king out hunting. The elephant went
towards the king's suite with the view of being caught.
The king, seeing the elephant at a distance, admired it
on account of its beauty, and gave orders that it should
be caught and tamed. Our elephant was easily caught,
and taken into the royal stables, and was soon tamed.
It so chanced that the queen expressed a wish to bathe
in the waters of the holy Qanga. The king, who wished
to accompany his royal consort, ordered that the newly-
caught elephant should be brought to him. The king
and queen mounted on his back. One would suppose
that the elephant had now got his wishes, as the king
had mounted on his back. But no. There was a fly
in the ointment. The elephant, who looked upon

142 FOLK-TALES OF BENGAL. [ix.

himself as a lordly beast, could not brook the idea that
a woman, though a queen, should ride on his back.
He thought himself degraded. He jumped up so
violently that both the king and queen fell to the
ground. The king carefully picked up the queen, took
her in his arms, asked her whether she had been much
hurt, wiped ofif the dust from her clothes with his hand-
kerchief, and tenderly kissed her a hundred times.
Our elephant, after witnessing the king's caresses,
scampered off to the woods as fast as his legs could
carry him. As he ran he thought within himself thus :
"After all, I see that a queen is the happiest of all
creatures. Of what infinite regard is she the object!
The king lifted her up, took her in his arms, made
many tender inquiries, wiped ofif the dust from her
clothes with kis own royal hands, and kissed her a
hundred times! O the happiness of being a queen!
I must tell the Rishi to make me a queen I " So
saying the elephant, after traversing the woods, went
at sunset to the Bishi's hut, and fell prostrate on
the ground at the feet of the holy sage. The Bishi
said, " Well, what's the news ? Why have you left the
king's stud ? " ** What shall I say to your reverence ?
You have been very kind to me; you have granted
every wish of mine. I have one more boon to ask, and
it will be the last. By becoming an elephant I have
got c^ly my bulk increased, but not my happiness. I
see that of all creatures a queen is the happiest in the

IX.] THE ORIGIN OF OPIUM. 148

world. Do, holy father, make me a queen." "Silly
child," answered the Rishi, "how can I make you a
queen? Where can I get a kingdom for you, and a
royal husband to boot ? All I can do is to change you
into an exquisitely beautiful girl, possessed of charms
to captivate the heart of a prince, if ever the gods
grant you an interview with some great prince ! " Our
elephant agreed to the change ; and in a moment the
sagacious beast was transformed into a beautiful young
lady, to whom the holy sage gave the name of Posto-
mani, or the poppy-seed lady.

Postomani lived in the Rishi's hut, and spent her
time in tending the flowers and watering the plants.
One day, as she was sitting at the door, of the hut
during the Rishi's absence, she saw a man dressed in
a very rich garb come towards the cottage. She stood
up and asked the stranger who he was, and what he
had come there for. The stranger answered that he
had come a-hunting in those parts, that he had been
chasing in vain a deer, that he felt thirsty, and that
he came to the hut of the hermit for refreshment.

Postomani. — Stranger, look upon this cot as your own
house. I'll do everything I can to make you comfort-
able; I am only sorry we are too poor suitably to
entertain a man of your rank, for if I mistake not you
are the king of this country.

The king smiled. Postomani then brought out a
water-pot, and made as if she would wash the feet of

144 FOLK-TALES OF BENGAL. [ix.

her royal guest with her own hands, when the king
said, " Holy maid, do not touch my feet, for I am only a
Kshatriya, and you are the daughter of a holy sage."

Postamani. — Noble sir, I am not the daughter of the
Rishi, neither am I a Brahmani girl ; so there can be
no harm in my touching your feet. Besides, you are
my guest, and I am bound to wash your feet.

King, — Forgive my impertinence. What caste do
you belong to ?

Postomani, — I have heard &om the sage that my
parents were Kshatriyas.

King, — May I ask you whether your father was a
king, for your uncommon beauty and your stately
demeanour show that you are a bom princess.

Fostomani, without answering the question, went
inside the hut, brought out a tray of the most delicious
fruits, and set it before the king. The king, however,
would not touch the fruits till the maid had answered
his questions. When pressed hard Fostomani gave the
following answer : " The holy sage says that my frUiher
was a king. Having been overoome in battle, he, along
with my mother, fled into the woods. My poor £either
was eaten up by a tiger, and my mother at that time
was brought to bed of me, and she dosed her eyes as
I opened mine. Strange to say, there was a bee-hive
on the tree at the foot of which I lay ; drops of honey
§dOi into my mouth and kept alive the spaik of life till
tlie knul Kishi fi>and me and btought me into his hut

»s

IX.] THE ORIGIN OP OPIUM. 145

This is the simple story of the wretched girl who now
stands before the king."

King, — Call not yourself wretched. You are the
loveliest and most beautiful of women. You would
adorn the palace of the mightiest sovereign.

The upshot was, that the king made love to the girl
and they were joined in marriage by the Rishi. Posto-
mani was treated as the favourite queen, and the former
queen was in disgrace. Postomani's happiness, however,
was short-lived. One day as she was standing by a
well, she became giddy, fell into the water, and died.
The Rishi then appeared before the king and said:
* O king, grieve not over the past. What is fixed by
fate must come to pass. The queen, who has just been
drowned, was not of royal blood. She was bom a rat ;
I then changed her successively, according to her own
wish, into a cat, a dog, a boar, an elephant, and a
beautiful girl. Now that she is gone, do you again
take into favour your former queen. As for my reputed
daughter, through the favour of the gods I'll make her
name immortal. Let her body remain in the well ; fill
the well up with earth. Out of her flesh and bones
will grow a tree which shall be called after her Posto,
that is, the Poppy tree. From this tree will be obtained
a drug called opium, which will be celebrated as
a powerful medicine through all ages, and which
will always be either swallowed or smoked as a

146 FOLK-TALES OF BENGAL. [ix.

wonderful narcotic to the end of time. The opium
swallower or smoker will have one quality of each of
the animals to which Postomani was transformed. He
will be mischievous like a rat, fond of milk like a cat,
quarrelsome like a dog, filthy like an ape, savage like
a boar, and high-tempered like a queen."

Thus my story endeth,

The Natiya-thom wlthereth, &o.

STRIKE BUT HEAR.

Once upon a time there reigned a king who had
three sons. His subjects one day came to him and
said, *'0 incarnation of justice ! the kingdom is infested
with thieves and robbers. Our property is not safe.
We pray your majesty to catch hold of these thieves
and punish them." The king said to his sons, " O my
sons, I am old, but you are all in the prime .of manhood.
How is it that my kingdom is full of thieves ? I look
to you to catch hold of these thieves." The three
princes then made up their minds to patrol the city
every night. With this view they set up a station in the
outskirts of the city, where they kept their horses. In
the early part of the night the eldest prince rode upon
his horse and went through the whole city, but did not
see a single thief. He came back to the station. About
midnight the second prince got upon his horse and rode
through every part of the city, but he did not see or
hear of a single thief He came also back to the

L 2

■«■

> ■ ■■■n !■ imt

US FOLK-TALES OF BENGAL. [x.

station. Some hours after midnight the youngest
prince went the rounds, and when he came near the
gate of the palace where his father lived, he saw a
beautiful woman coming out of the palace. The prince
accosted the woman, and asked who she was and where
she was going at that hour of the night. The woman
answered, "I am Rajlakshmi,^ the guardian deity of
this palace. The king will be killed this night. I am
therefore not needed here. I am going away." The
prince did not know what to make of this message.
After a moment's reflection he said to the goddess,
" But suppose the king is not killed to-night, then have
you any objection to return to the palaxje and stay
there V "I have no objection," replied the goddess^
The prince then begged the goddess to go in, promising
to do his best to prevent the king from being killed.
Then the goddess entered the palace again, and in a
moment went the prince knew not whither.

Tne prince went straight into the bedroom of his
royal father. There he lay immersed in deep sleep.
His second and young wife, the stepmother of our
prince, was sleeping in another bed in the room. A
light was burning dimly. What was his surprise when
the prince saw a huge cobra going round and round the
golden bedstead on which his father was sleeping. The
prince with his sword cut the serpent in two. Not
satisfied with killing the cobra, he cut it up into a

^ The tutelary goddess of a king's houseliold.

X.] STRIKE BUT HEAR. 149

hundred pieces, and put them inside the pan dish^
which was in the room. While the prince was cutting
up the serpent a drop of blood fell on the breast of his
stepmother who was sleeping hard by. The prince was
in great distress. He said to himself, "I have saved
my father but killed my mother." How was the drop
of blood to be taken out of his mother's breast ? He
wrapped round his tongue a piece of cloth sevenfold,
and with it licked up the drop of blood. But while he
was in the act of doing this, his stepmother woke up,
and opening her eyes saw that it was her stepson, the
youngest prince. The young prince rushed out of the
room. The queen, intending to ruin the youngest
prince, whom she hated, called out to her husband,
"My lord, my lord, are you awake? are you awake?
Rouse yourself up. Here is a nice piece of business."
The king on awaking inquired what the matter was.
" The matter, my lord ? Your worthy son, the youngest
prince, of whom you speak so highly, was just here.
I caught him in the act of touching my breast. Doubt-
less he came with a wicked intent. And this is your
worthy son ! " The king was horror-struck. The
prince went to the station to his brothers, but told
them nothing.

Early in the morning the king called his eldest son
to him and said, "If a man to whom I intrust my

^ A vessel, made generally of brass, for keeping the pan leaf together
with betel-nnt and other spices.

150 FOLK-TALES OF BENOAL. [x.

honour and my life prove faithless, how should he be
punished ? " The eldest prince replied, " Doubtless
such a man's head should be cut oflF ; but before you
kill, you should see whether the man is really faith-
less." "What do you mean?" inquired the king.
" Let your majesty be pleased to listen," answered
the prince.

'* Once on a time there lived a goldsmith who had a
grown-up son. And this son had a ¥dfe who had
the rare faculty of understanding the language of
beasts ; but neither her husband nor any one else knew
that she had this uncommon gift. One night she was
lying in bed beside her husband in their house, which
was close to a river, when she heard a jackal howl out,
'There goes a carcase floating on the river; is there
any one who will take off the diamond ring from the
finger of the dead man and give me the corpse to eat ? '
The woman understood the jackal's language, got up
from bed and went to the river-side. The husband,
who was not asleep, followed his wife at some distance
so as not to be observed by her. The woman went
into the water, tugged the floating corpse towards the
shore, and saw the diamond ring on the finger. Unable
to loosen it with her hand, as the fingers of the dead
body had swelled, she bit it off with her teeth, and put
the dead body upon land. She then went to her bed,
whither she had been preceded by her husband. The
young goldsmith lay beside his wife almost petrified

X.] STRIKE BUT HEAR. 151

with fear, for he concluded after what he saw th&t his
wife was not a human being but a Bakshasi. He spent
the rest of the night in tossing in his bed, and early in
the morning spoke to his father in the following manner :
' Father, the woman whom thou hast given me to wife
is not a real woman but a Bakshasi. Last night as I
was lying in bed with her, I heard outside the house,
towards the river-side, a jackal set up a fearful howl.
On this she, thinking that I was asleep, got up from
bed, opened the door, and went out to the river-side.
Surprised to see her go out alone at the dead hour of
night, I suspected evil and followed her, but so that she
could not see me. What did she do, do you think?
O horror of horrors ! She went into the stream, dragged
towards the shore the dead body of a man which was
floating by, and began to eat it ! I saw this with mine
own eyes. I then returned home while she was feasting
upon the carcase, and jumped into bed. In a few
minutes she also returned, bolted the door, and lay
beside me. O my father, how can I live with a
Bakshasi ? She will certainly kill me and eat me up
one night.' The old goldsmith was not a little shocked
to hear this account. Both father and son agreed that
the woman should be taken into the forest and there
left to be devoured by wild beasts. Accordingly the
young goldsmith spoke to his wife thus : * My dear love,
you had better not cook much this morning ; only boil
rice and bum a brinjal, for I must take you to-day to

152 FOLK-TALES OjF BENGAL. [x.

see your father and mother, who are dying to see you/
At the mention of her father's house she became fiill of
joy, and finished the cooking in no tima The husband
and wife snatched a hasty breakfast and started on their
journey. The way lay through a dense jungle, in which
the goldsmith bethought himself of leaving his wife
alone to be eaten up by wild beasts. But while they
were passing through this jungle the woman heard a
serpent hiss, the meaning of which hissing, as under-
stood by her, was as follows: *0 passer-by, how
thankful should I be to you if you would catch hold
of that croaking frog in yonder hole, which is full of
gold and precious stones, and give me the frog to
swallow, and you take the gold and precious stones.'
The woman forthwith made for the frog, and began
digging the hole with a stick. The young goldsmith
was now quaking with fear, thinking his Eakshasi-wife
was about to kill him. She called out to him and said,
' Husband, take up all this large quantity of gold and
these precious stones.' The goldsmith, not knowing
what to make of it, timidly went to. the place, and to
his infinite surprise saw the gold and the precious
stones. They took up as much as they could. On the
husband's asking his wife how she came to know of the
existence of all this riches, she said that she understood
the language of animals, and that the snake coiled up
hard by had informed her of it. The goldsmith, on
finding out what an accomplished wife he was blessed

X.] STRIKE BUT HEAR. 168

with, said to her, * My love, it has got very late to-day ;
it would be impossible to reach your father's house
before nightfall, and we may be devoured by wild
beasts in the jungle ; I propose therefore that we both
return home/ It took them a long time to reach home,
for they were laden with a large quantity of gold and
precious stones. On coming near the house, the gold-
smith said to his wife, ' My dear, you go by the back
door, while I go by the front door and see my father in
his shop and show him all this gold and these precious
stones.' So she entered the house by the back door,
and the moment she entered she was met by the old
goldsmith, who had come that minute into the house
for some purpose with a hammer in his hand. The old
goldsmith, when he saw his Eakshasi daughter-in-law,
concluded in his mind that she had killed and swallowed
up his son. He therefore struck her on the head with
the hammer, and she immediately died. That moment
the son came into the house, but it was too late. Hence
it is that I told your majesty that before you cut oS a
man's head you should inquire whether the man is
really guilty."

The king then called his second son to him, and
said, " If a man to whom I intrust my honour and my
life prove faithless, how should he be punished ? " The
second prince replied, " Doubtless such a man's head
should be cut off, but before you kill you should see
whether the man is really faithless." " What do you

154 FOLK-TALES OF BENGAL. [x.

mean?" inquired the king. "Let your majesty be
pleased to listen," answered the prince.

" Once on a time there reigned a king who was very
fond of goipg out a-hunting. Once while he was out
hunting his horse took him into a dense forest fax from
his followers. He rode on and on, and did not see
either villages or towns. He became very thirsty, but
he could see neither pond, lake, nor stream. At last
he found something dripping from the top of a tree.
Concluding it to be rain-water which had rested in
some cavity of the tree, he stood on horseback under
the tree and caught the dripping contents in a small
cup. It was, however, no rain-water. A huge cobra,
which was on the top of the tree, was dashing in rage
its fangs against the tree ; and its poison was coming
out and was falling in drops. The king, however,
thought it was rain-water; though his horse knew
better. When the cup was nearly filled with the liquid
snake-poison, and the king was about to drink it oflF,
the horse to save the life of his royal master, so moved
about that the cup fell from the king's hand and all
the liquid spilled about. The king became very angry
with his horse, and with his sword gave a cut to the
horse's neck, and the horse died immediately. Hence
it is that I told your majesty that before you cut off a
man's head you should inquire whether the man is
really guilty."

The king then called to him his third and youngest

x.] STRIKE BUT HEAR. 155

son, and said, '' If a man to whom I intrust my honour
and my life prove faithless, how should he be
punished i ** The youngest prince replied, " Doubtless
such a man's head should be cut oflf, but before you
kill you should see whether the miQ>n is really faithless."
" What do you mean ? " inquired the king. " Let your
majesty be pleased to Uflten." answered the prince.

'' Once on a time there reigned a king who had in
his palace a remarkable bird of the Suka species. One
day as the Suka went out to the fields for an airing, he
saw his dad and dam, who pressed him to come and spend
some days with them in their nest in some far-off land.
The Suka answered he would be very happy to come,
but he could not go* without the king's leave ; he added
that he would speak te the king that very day, and
would be ready to go the following morning if his dad
and dam would come to that very spot. The Suka
spoke to the king, and the king gave leave with reluc-
tance as he was very fond of the bird. So the next
morning the Slika met his dad and dam at the place
appointed, and went with them to his paternal nest on
the top of some high tree in a far-off land. The three
birds lived happily together for a fortnight, at the end
of which period the Suka said to his dad and dam,
' My beloved parents, the king granted me leave only
for a fortnight, and to-day the- fortnight is over : to-
morrow I must start for the city of the king.' His
dad and dam readily agreed to the reasonable proposal^

156 FOLK TALES OF BEaffGAL. [x.

and told him to take a present to the king. After
laying their heads together for some time they agreed
that the present should be a fruit of the tree of
Immortality. So early next morning the Suka plucked
a fruit oflf the tree of Immortality, and carefully
catching it in his beak, started on his aerial journey.
As he had a heavy weight to carry, the Suka was not
able to reach the city of the king that day, and was
benighted on the road. He took shelter in a tree, and
was at a loss to know where to keep the fruit. . If he
kept it in his beak it was sure, he thought, to fall out
when he fell asleep. Fortunately he saw a hole in the
trunk of the tree in which he had taken shelter, and
accordingly put the fruit in it. It so happened that in
that hole there was a snake ; in the course of the night
the snake darted its fangs on the fruit, and thus
besmeared it with its poison. Early before crow-
cawing the Suka, suspecting nothing, took up the fruit
of Immortality in its beak, and began his aerial voyage.
Th3 Suka reached the palace while the king was sitting
with his ministers. The king was delighted to see his pet
bird come again, and greatly admired the beautiful fruit
which the Suka had brought as a present. The fixiit
was very fair to look at ; it was the loveliest fruit in all
the earth ; and as its name implies it makes the eater
of it immortal. The king was going to eat it, but his
courtiers said that it was not advisable for the king to
eat it, as it might be a poisonous fruit He accordingly

X.] STRIKE BUT HEAR. 167

threw it to a crow which was perched on the wall ; the
crow ate a part of it ; but in a moment the crow fell
down and died. The king, imagining that the Suka
had intended to take away his life, took hold of the
bird and killed it. The king ordered the stone of the
deadly fruit, as it was thought to be, to be planted in a
garden outside the city. The stone in course of time
became a large tree bearing lovely fruit. The king
ordered a fence to be put round the tree, and placed a
guard lest people should eat of the fruit and die.
There lived in that city an old Brahman and his wife,
who used to live upon charity. The Brahman one day
mourned his hard lot, and told his wife that instead
of leading the wretched life of a beggar he would eat
the fruit of the poisonous tree in the king's garden and
thus end his days. So that very night he got up from
his bed in order to get into the king's garden. His
wife, suspecting her husband's intention, followed him,
resolved also to eat of the fruit and die with her
husband. As at that dead hour of night the guard
was asleep, the old Brahman plucked a fruit and ate
it. The woman said to her husband, * If you die what
is the use of my life ? I'll also eat and die.' So
saying she plucked a fruit and ate it. Thinking that
the poison would take some time to produce its due
effect, they both went home and lay in bed, supposing
that they would never rise again. To their infinite
surprise next momiug they found themselves to be not

i^r^

158 FOLK-TALES OF BENGAL. x.]

only alive, but young and vigorous. Their neighbours
could scarcely recognise them — they had become so
changed. The old Brahman had become handsome
and vigorous, no grey hairs, no wrinkles on his cheeks;
and as for his wife, she had become as beautiful as any
lady in the king's household. The king, hearing of
this wonderful change, sent for the old Brahman, who
told him all the circumstances. The king then greatly
lamented the sad fate of his pet bird, and blamed
himself for having killed it without fully inquiring
into the case.

" Hence it is," continued the youngest prince, " that
I told your Majesty that before you cut off a man's
head you should inquire whether the man is really
guilty. I know your Majesty thinks that last night I
entered your chamber with wicked intent Be pleased
to hear me before you strike. Last night as I was on
my rounds I saw a female figure come out of the palace.
On challenging her she said that she was Bajlakshmi,
the guardian deity of the palace; and that she was
leaving the palace as the king would be killed that
night. I told her to come in, and that I would prevent
the king from being killed. I went straight into your
bed-room, and saw a large cobra going round and round
your golden bedstead. I killed the cobra, cut it up
into a hundred pieces, and put them in the pan dish.
But while I was cutting up the snake, a drop of its
blood fell on the breast of my mother; and then I

X.] STRIKE BUT HEAR. 169

thought that while I had saved my father I had killed
my mother. I wrapped round my tongue a piece of cloth
sevenfold and licked up the drop of blood. While I
was licking up the blood, my mother opened her eyes
and noticed me. This is what I have done ; now cut
oflf my head if your Majesty wishes it."

The king filled with joy and gratitude embraced his
son, and from that time loved him more even than he
had loved him before.

Thus my story endeth,

The Natiya-thoni withereth, &o.

XI.

THE ADVENTURES OF TWO THIEVES AND OF THEIB

SONS.

PART L

Once on a time there lived two thieves in a village
who earned their livelihood by stealing. As they were
well-known thieves, every act of theft in the village
was ascribed to them whether they committed it or
not; they therefore left the village, and, being resolved
to support themselves by honest labour, went to a
neighbouring town for service. Both of them were
engaged by a householder ; the one had to tend a cow,
and the other to water a champaka plant. The elder
thief began watering the plant early in the morning,
and as he had been told to go on pouring water till

some of it collected itself round the foot of the plant
he went on pouring bucketful after bucketful : but to
no purpose. No sooner was the water poured on the
foot of the plant than it was forthwith sucked up by
the thirsty earth ; and it was late in the afternoon when

XI.] THE ADVENTURES OF TWO THIEVES, ETC. 161

the thief, tired with drawing water, laid himself down
on the ground, and fell asleep. The younger thief
fared no better. The cow which he had to tend was
the most vicious in the whole country. When taken
out of the village for pasturage it galloped away to a
great distance with its tail erect ; it ran from one
paddy-field to another, and ate the com and trod upon
it; it entered into sugar-cane plantations and de-
stroyed the sweet cane ; — for all which damage and acts
of trespass the neatherd was soundly rated by the
owners of the fields. What with running after the
cow from field to field, from pool to pool ; what with
the abusive language poured not only upon him, but
upon his forefathers up to the fourteenth generation, by
the owners of the fialds in which the corn had been
destroyed, — the younger thief had a miserable day of
it. After a world of trouble he succeeded about sunset
in catching hold of the cow, which he brought back to
the house of his master. The elder thief had just roused
himself from sleep when he saw the younger one bring-
ing in the cow. Then the elder said to the younger —
"Brother, why are you so late in coming firom the fields?"
Younger. — What shall I say, brother ? I took the
cow to that part of the meadow where there is a tank,
near which there is a large tree. I let the cow loose,
and it began to graze about without giving the least
trouble. I spread my gamchha ^ upon the grass under

^ A towel used in bathing.

162 FOLK-TALES OF BENGAL. [xi.

the tree ; and there was such a delicious breeze that I
soon fell asleep, and I did not wake till after sunset ;
and when I awoke I saw my good cow grazing con-
tentedly at the distance of a few paces. But how did
you fare, brother ?

Elder. — Oh, as for me, I had a jolly time of it. I
had poured only one bucketful of water on the plant,
when a large quantity rested round it. So my work
was done, and 1 had the whole day to myself. I laid
myself down on the ground; I meditated on the
joys of this new mode of life; I whistled; I sang;
and at last fell asleep. And I am up only this
moment.

When this talk was ended, the elder thief, believing
that what the younger thief had said was true, thought
that tending the cow was more comfortable than water-
ing the plant; and the younger thief, for the same
reason, thought that watering the plant was more
comfortable than tending the cow : each therefore
resolved to exchange his own work for that of the
other.

Elder. — Weil, brother, I have a wish to tend the cow.
Suppose to-morrow you take my work, and I yours.
Have you any objection ?

Toungcr. — Not the slightest, brother. I shall be
glad to take up your work, and you are quite wel-
come to take up mine. Only let me give you a
bit of advice. I felt it rather uncomfortable to sleep

XI.] THE ADVENTURES OF TWO THIEVES, ETC. 163

nearly the whole of the day on the bare ground. If
you take a charpoy ^ with you, you will have a merry
time of it."

Early the following morning the elder thief went out
with the cow to the fields, not forgetting to take with
him a cJiarpoy for his ease and comfoit; and the
younger thief began watering the plant. The latter had
thought that one bucketful, or at the outside two
bucketfuls, of water would be enough. But what was
his surprise when he found that even a hundred
bucketfuls were not sufiicient to saturate the ground
around the roots of the plant. He was dead tired with
drawing water. The sun was almost going down, and
yet his work was not over. At last he gave it up
through sheer weariness.

The elder thief in the fields was in no better case.
He took the cow beside the tank which the younger
thief had spoken of, put his charpoy under the large
tree hard by, and then let the cow loose. As soon as
the cow was let loose it went scampering about in the
meadow, jumping over hedges and ditches, running
through paddy-fields, and injuring sugar-cane planta-
tions. The elder thief was not a little put about. He
had to run about the whole day, and to be insulted
by the people whose fields had been trespassed upon.
But the worst of it was, that our thief had to run
about the meadow with the charpoy on his head, for

^ A sort of bed made of rope, supported by posts of wood.

M 2

164 FOLK TALES OF BENGAL. [xi.

he could not put it anywhere for fear it should be taken
away. When the other neatherds who were in the
meadow saw the elder thief running about in breathless
haste after the cow with the charpoy on his head, they
clapped their hands and raised shouts of derision.
The poor fellow, hungry and angry, bitterly repented of
the exchange he had made. After infinite trouble, and
with the help of the other neatherds, he at last caught
hold of the precious cow, and brought it home long
after the village lamps had been lit.

When the two thieves met in the house of their
master, they merely laughed at each other without
speaking a word. Their dinner over, they laid them-
selves to rest, when there took place the following
conversation : —

Younger. — Well, how did you fare, brother ?

Elder. — Just as you fared, and perhaps some degrees
better.

Younger. — I am of opinion that our former trade of
thieving was infinitely preferable to this sort of honest
labour, as people call it.

Elder. — What doubt is there of that ? But, by the
gods, I have never seen a cow which can be compared
to this. It has no second in the world in point of
viciousness.

Yov,nger. — ^A vicious cow is not a rare thing. I have
seen some cows as vicious. But have you ever seen a
plant like thia ckampaha plant which you were told to

XI.] THE ADVENTURES OF TWO THIEVES, ETC. 165

water ? I wonder what becomes of all the water that
is poured round about it. Is there a tank below its
roots ?

Elder, — I have a good mind to dig round it and see
what is beneath it.

Younger. — ^We had better do so this night when the
good man of the house and his wife are asleep.

At about midnight the two thieves took spades and
shovels and began digging round the plant. After
digging a good deal the younger thief lighted upon
some hard thing against which the shovel struck.
The curiosity of both was excited. The younger thief
saw that it was a large jar ; he thrust his hand into it
and found that it was full of gold mohurs. But he said
to the elder thief — " Oh, it is nothing ; it is only a large
stone." The elder thief, however, suspected that it
was something else ; but he took care not to give vent
to his suspicion. Both agreed to give up digging as
they had found nothing ; and they went to sleep. An
hour or two after, when the elder thief saw that the
younger thief was asleep, he quietly got up and went
to the spot which had been digged. He saw the jar
filled with gold mohurs. Digging a little near it, he
found another jar also fiUed with gold mohurs. Over-
joyed to find the treasure, he resolved to secure it. He
took up both the jars, went to the tank which was near,
and from which water used to be drawn for the plant,
and buried them in the mud of its bank. He then

166 FOLK-TALES OF BENGAL. [xi.

returned to the house, and quietly laid himself down
beside the younger thief, who was then fast asleep.
The younger thief, who had first found the jar of gold
mohurs, now woke, and softly stealing out of bed, went
to secure the treasure he had seen. On going to the
spot he did not see any jar; he therefore naturally
thought that his companion the elder thief had secreted
it somewhere. He went to his sleeping partner, with
a view to discover if possible by any marks on his body
the place where the treasure had been hidden. He
examined the person of his friend with the eye of a
detective, and saw mud on his feet and near the ankles.
He immediately concluded the treasure must have been
concealed somewhere in the tank. But in what part of
the tank? on which bank? His ingenuity did not
forsake him here. He walked round all the four banks
of the tank. When he walked round three sides, the
frogs on them jumped into the water; but no frogs
jumped from the fourth bank. He therefore concluded
that the treasure must have been buried on the fourth
bank. In a little he found the two jars filled with gold
mohurs; he took them up, and going into the cow-
house brought out the vicious cow he had tended, and
put the two jars on its back. He left the house and
started for his native village.

When the elder thief at crow-cawing got up from
sleep, he was surprised not to find his companion beside
him. He hastened to the tank and found that the jars

XI.] THE ADVENTURES OP TWO THIEVES, ETC. 167

were not there. He went to the cow-house, and did
not see the vicious cow. He immediately concluded
the younger thief must have run . away with the trea-
sure on the back of the cow. And where could he
think of going? He must be going to his native
village. No sooner did this process of reasoning pass
through his mind than he resolved forthwith to set
out and overtake the younger thief. As lie passed
through the town, he invested all the money he had
in a costly pair of shoes covered with gold lace. He
walked very fast, avoiding the public road and making
short cuts. He descried the younger thief trudging
on slowly with his cow. He went before him in the
highway about a distance of 200 yards, and threw down
on the road one shoe. He walked on another 200
yards and threw the other shoe at a place near which
was a large tree ; amid the thick leaves of that tree
he hid himself. The younger thief coming along the
public road saw the first shoe and said to himself —
" What a beautiful shoe that is 1 It is of gold lace.
It would have suited me in my present circumstances
now that I have got rich. But what shall I do with
one shoe ? " So he passed on. In a short time he
came to the place where the other shoe was lying.
The younger thief said within himself — " Ah, here is
the other shoe t What a fool I was, that I did not
pick up the one I first saw! However it is not too
late. I'll tie the cow to yonder tree and go for the

168 fOLK-TALES OF BENGAL. [xi.

other shoe." He tied the cow to the tree, and taking
up the second shoe went for the first, lying at a distance
of about 200 yards. In the meantime the elder thief
got down firom the tree, loosened the cow, and drove it
towards his native village avoiding the king's highway.
The younger thief on returning to the tree found that
the cow was gone. He of course concluded that it
could have been done only by the elder thief. He
walked as fast as his legs could carry him, and reached
his native vills^e long before the elder thief with the
cow. He hid himself near the door of the elder thief s
house. The moment the elder thief arrived with the
cow, the younger thief accosted him, saying — *' So you
are come safe, brother. Let us go in and divide the
money." To this proposal the elder thief readily
agreed. In the inner yard of the house the two jars
were taken down from the back of the cow; they
went to a room, bolted the door, and began dividing.
Two mohurs were taken up by the hand, one was put
in one place, and the other in another; and they went
on doing that till the jars became empty. But last of
all one gold mohur remained. The question was —
Who was to take it ? Both agreed that it should be
changed the next morning, and the silver cash equally
divided. But with whom was the single mobur to
remain ? There was not a little wrangling about the
matter. After a great deal of yea and nay, it was
settled that it should remain with the elder thief.

XI.] THE ADVENTURES OF TWO THIEVES, ETC. 160

and that next morning it should be changed and
equally divided.

At night the elder thief said to his wife and the
other women of the house, " Look here, ladies, the
younger thief will come to-morrow morning to demand
the share of the remaining gold mohur ; but I don't
mean to give it to him. You do one thing to-morrow.
Spread a cloth on the ground in the yard. I will lay
myself on the cloth pretending to be dead; and to
convince people that I am dead, put a tulasi^ plant
near my head. And when you see the younger thief
coming to the door, you set up a loud cry and lamenta-
tion. Then he will of course go away, and I shall not
have to pay his share of the gold mohur." To this
proposal the women readily agreed. Accordingly the
next day, about noon, the elder thief laid himself down
in the yard like a corpse with the sacred basil near his
head. When the younger thief was seen coming near
the house, the women set up a loud cry, and when he
came nearer and nearer, wondering what it all meant,
they said, " Oh, where did you both go ? What did you
bring ? What did you do to him ? Look, he is dead 1 "
So saying they rent the air with their cries. The
younger thief, seeing through the whole, said, " Well, I
am sorry my friend and brother is gone. I must now
attend to his funeral. You all go away from this place,
you are but women. I'll see to it that the remains are

^ The sacred basU.

170 FOLK-TALES OF BENGAL. [xi.

well burnt/' He brought a quantity of straw and
twisted it into a rope, which he fastened to the legs of
the deceased man, and began tugging him, saying that
he was going to take him to the place of burning.
While the elder thief was being dragged through the
streets, his body was getting dreadfully scratched and
bruised, but he held his peace, being resolved to act his
part out, and thus escape giving the share of the gold
mohur. The sun had gone down when the younger
thief with the corpse reached the place of burning.
But as he was making preparations for a funeral pile,
he remembered that he had not brought fire with him.
If he went for fire leaving the elder thief behind, he
would undoubtedly run away. What then was to be
done ? At last he tied the straw rope to the branch of
a tree, and kept the pretended corpse hanging in the
air, and he himself climbed into the tree and sat on
that branch, keeping tight hold of the rope lest it
should break, and the elder thief run away. While
they were in this state, a gang of robbers passed by.
On seeing the corpse hanging, the head of the gang
said, " This raid of ours has begun very auspiciously.
Brahmans and Pandits say that if on starting on a
journey one sees a corpse, it is a good omen. Well,
we have seen a corpse, it is therefore likely that we
shall meet with success this night. If we do, I propose
one thing : on our return let us first bum this dead
body and then return home." All the robbers agreed

XI.] THE ADVENTURES OF TWO THIEVES, BrC. 171

to this proposal The robbers then entered into the
house of a rich man in the village, put its inmates to
the sword, robbed it of all its treasures, and withal
managed it so cleverly that not a mouse stirred in the
village. As they were successful beyond measure, they
resolved on their return to bum the dead body they
had seen. When they came to the place of burning
they found the corpse hanging as before, for the elder
thief had not yet opened his mouth lest he should be
obliged to give half of the gold mohur. The thieves
dug a hollow in the ground, brought fuel, and laid it
upon the hollow. They took down the corpse from the
tree, and laid it upon the pile ; and as they were going
to set it on fire, the corpse gave out an unearthly
scream and jumped up. That very moment the
younger thief jumped down from the tree with a
similar scream. The robbers were frightened beyond
measure. They thought that a Dana (evil spirit) had
possessed the corpse, and that a ghost jumped down
from the tree. They ran away in great fear, leaving
behind them the money and the jewels which they
had obtained by robbery. The two thieves laughed
heartily, took up all the riches of the robbers, went
home, and Uved merrily for a long time.

PART II.

The elder thief and the younger thief had one son
each. As they had been so far successful in life by

172 FOLK-TALES OP BENGAL. [xr.

practising the art of thieving, they resolved to train up
their sons to the same profession. There was in the
village a Professor of the Science of Roguery, who
took pupils, and gave them lessons in that difficult
science. The two thieves put their sons under this
renowned Professor. The son of the elder thief dis-
tinguished himself very much, and bade fair to sur-
pass his father in the art of stealing. The lad's
cleverness was tested in the following manner. Not
far from the Professor's house there lived a poor
man in a hut, upon the thatch of which climbed a
creeper of the gourd kind. In the middle of the thatch,
which was also its topmost part, there was a splendid
gourd, which the man and his wife watched day and
night. They certainly slept at night, but then the
thatch was so old and ricketty that if even a mouse
went up to it bits of straw and particles of earth used
to fall inside the hut, and the man and his wife slept
right below the spot where the gourd was ; so that it
was next to impossible to steal the gourd without the
knowledge of its owners. The Professor said to his
pupils — for he had many — ^that any one who stole the
gourd without being caught would be pronounced the
dux of the school. Our elder thiefs son at once
accepted the offer. He said he would steal away the
gourd if he were allowed the use of three things
namely, a string, a cat, and a knife. The Professor
allowed him the use of these three things. Two or

xi] THE ADVENTURES OP TWO THIEVES, ETC. 178

three hours after nightfall, the lad, furnished with the
three things mentioned above, sat behind the thatch
under the eaves, listening to the conversation carried
on by the man and his wife lying in bed inside the hut.
In a short time the conversation ceased. The lad then
concluded that they must both have fallen asleep. He
waited half an hour longer, and hearing no sound
inside, gently climbed up on the thatch. Chips of
straw and particles of earth fell upon the couple sleeping
inside. The woman woke up, and rousing her husband
said, "Look there, some one is stealing the gourd I"
That moment the lad squeezed the throat of the cat, and
puss immediately gave out her usual "Mew ! mew ! mew !"
The husband said, " Don't you hear the cat mewing ?
There is no thief; it is only a cat." The lad in the
meantime cut the gourd from the plant with his knife,
and tied the string which he had with him to its stalk.
But how was he to get down without being discovered
and caught, especially as the man and the woman were
now awake ? The woman was not convinced that it
was only a cat; the shaking of the thatch, and the
constant falling of bits of straw and particles of dust,
made her think that it was a human being that was
upon the thatch. She was telling her husband to go
out and see whether a man was not there; but he
maintained that it was only a cat While the man
and woman were thus disputing with each other, the
lad with great force threw down the cat upon the

171 FOLKTALES OF BENGAL. [xi.

ground, on which the poor animal purred most vocifer- \,
ously ; and the man said aloud to his wife, " There it is ;
you are now convinced that it was only a cat." In the
meantime, during the confusion created by the clamour
of the cat and the loud talk of the man, the lad quietly
came down from the thatch with the gourd tied to the
string. Next morning the lad produced the gourd
before his teacher, and described to him and to his
admiring comrades the manner in which he had com-
mitted the theft. The Professor was in ecstasy, and
remarked, " The worthy son of a worthy father." But
the elder thief, the father of our hopeful genius, was by
no means satisfied that his son was as yet fit to enter
the world. He wanted to prove him still further.
Addressing his son he said, "My son, if you can do
what I tell you, I'll think you fit to enter the world.
If you can steal the gold chain of the queen of this
country from her neck, and bring it to me, I'll think
you fit to enter the world." The gifted son readily
agreed to do the daring deed.

The young thief — for so we shall now call the son of
the elder thief — made a reconnaissance of the palace
in which the king and queen lived. He reconnoitred
all the four gates, and all the outer and inner walls as
far as he could ; and gathered incidentally a good deal
of information, from people living in the neighbour,
hood, regarding the habits of the king and queen, in
what part of the palace they slept, what guards there

XI.] THE ADVENTURES OF TWO THIEVES, ETC. 175

were near the bedchamber, and who, if any, slept in
the antechamber. Armed with all this knowledge the
young thief fixed upon one dark night for doing the
daring deed. He took with him a sword, a hammer
and some large nails, and put on very dark clothes.
Thus accoutred he went prowling about the Lion gate
of the palace. Before the zenana ^ could be got at, four
doors, including the Lion gate, had to be passed ; and
each of these doors had a guard of sixteen stalwart
men. The same men, however, did not remain all
night at their post. As the king had an infinite number
of soldiers at his command, the guards at the doors
were relieved every hour ; so that once every hour at
each door there were thirty-two men present, consist-
ing of the relieving party and of the relieved. The
young thief chose that particular moment of time for
entering each of the four doors. At the time of relief
when he saw the Lion gate crowded with thirty-two
men, he joined the crowd without being taken notice
of; he then spent the hour preceding the next relief in
the large open space and garden between two doors ;
and he could not be taken notice of, as the night as
well as his clothes was pitch dark. In a similar
manner he passed the second door, the third door, and
the fourth door. And now the queen's bedchamber

^ Zenana is not the name of a province in India, as the good people
of Scotland the other day took it to be, but the innermost department
of a Hindu or Mohammedan house which the women occupy.

17« FOLK TALES OF BYSGAL. [jx

Stared him in the face. It was in the third loft ; there
was a bright light in it ; and a low Toice was heard as
that of a woman saying something in a hnmdrom
manner. The jonng thief thought that the Toice must
be the voice of a maidservant reciting a story, as he had
learnt was the custom in the palace every night, for
compNDfsing the king and queen to sleep. But how to
get up into the third loft ? The inner doors were all
closed, and there were guards everywhere. But the
young thief had with him nails and a hammer : why
not drive the nails into the wall and dimb up by them ?
True; but the driving of nails into the wall would
make a great noise which would rouse the guards, and
possibly the king and queen, — at any rate the maid-
servant reciting stories would give the alarm. Our
erratic genius had considered that matter well before
engaging in the work. There is a water-clock in the
palace which shows the hours ; and at the end of every
hour a very large Chinese gong is struck, the sound of
which is so loud that it is not only heard aU over the
palace, but over most part of the dty; and the pecu-
liarity of the gong, as of every Chinese gong, was that
nearly one minute must elapse after the first stroke
before the second stroke could be made, to allow the
gong to give out the whole of its sound. The thief
fixed upon the minutes when the gong was struck at
the end of every hour for driving nails into the walL
At ten o'clock when the gong was struck ten times, the

XL] THE ADVENTURES OF TWO THIEVES, ETC. 177

thief found it easy to drive ten nails into the wall.
When the gong stopped, the thief also stopped, and
either sat or stood quiet on the ninth nail catching hold
of the tenth which was above the other. At eleven
o'clock he drove into the wall in a similar manner
eleven nails, and got a little higher than the second
story ; and by twelve o'clock he was in the loft where
the royal bedchamber was. Peeping in he saw a drowsy
maid-servant drowsily reciting a story, and the king and
queen apparently asleep. He went stealthily behind
the story-telling maid-servant and took his seat. The
queen was lying down on a richly furnished bedstead
of gold beside the king. The massive chain of gold
round the neck of the queen was gleaming in candle-
light. The thief quietly listened to the story of the
drowsy maid-servant. She was becoming more and
more sleepy. She stopped for a second, nodde'd her head,
and again resumed the story. It was plain she was
under the influence of sleep. In a moment the thief
cut off the head of the maid-servant with his sword,
and himself went on reciting for some minutes the story
which the woman was telling. The king and queen
were unconscious of any change as to the person of the
story-teller, for they were both in deep sleep. He
stripped the murdered woman of her clothes, put them
on himself, tied up his own clothes in a bundle, and
walking softly, gently took off the chain from the neck
of the queen. He then went through the rooms down

178 FOLK-TALES OF BENGAL. [xi.

stairs, ordered the inner guard to open the door, as she
was obliged to go out of the palace for purposes of
necessity. The guards, seeing that it was the queen's
maid-servant, readily allowed her to go out. In the
same manner, and with the same pretext, he got through
the other doors, and at last out into the street. That
very night, or rather morning, the young thief put into
his father s hand the gold chain of the queen. The
elder thief could scarcely believe his own eyes. It was
so like a dream. His joy knew no bounds. Address-
ing his son he said — " Well done, my son ; you are not
only as clever as your father, but you have beaten me
hollow. The gods give you long life, my son."

Next morning when the king and queen got up
from bed, they were shocked to see the maid-servant
lying in a pool of blood. The queen also found that
her gold cliain was not round her neck. They could
not make out how all this could have taken place.
How could any thief manage to elude the vigilance of
so many guards ? How could he get into the queen's
bedchamber ? And how could he again escape ? The
king found from the reports of the guards that a person
calling herself the royal maid-servant had gone out of the
palace some hours before dawn. All sorts of inquiries
were made, but in vain. Proclamation was made in
the city; a large reward was offered to any one who would
give information tending to the apprehension of the
thief and murderer. But no one responded to the calL

XI.] THE ADVENTURES OF TWO THIEVES, ETC. 179

At last the king ordered a camel to be brought to him.
On the back of the animal was placed two large bags
filled with gold mohurs. The man taking charge of
the bags upon the camel was ordered to go through
every part of the city making the following challenge .-
— " As the thief was daring enough to steal away a
gold chain from the neck of the queen, let him further
show his daring by stealing the gold mohurs from the
back of this camel." Two days and nights the camel
paraded through the city, but nothing happened. On
the third night as the camel-driver was going his
rounds he was accosted by a sannyasi} who sat on a
tiger's skin before a fire, and near whom was a mon-
strous pair of tongs. This mnnyasi was no other
than the young thief in disguise. The mnnyasi said to
the camel driver — " Brother, why are you going through
the city in this manner ? Who is there so daring as
to steal from the back of the king's camel ? Come
down, friend, and smoke with me." The camel-driver
alighted, tied the camel to a tree on the spot, and
began smoking. The mendicant supplied him not only
with tobacco, but with ganja and other intoxicating drugs,
so that in a short time the camel-driver became quite
intoxicated and fell asleep. The young thief led away the
camel with the treasure on its back in the dead of night,
through narrow lanes and bye-paths to his own house.
That very night the camel was killed, and its carcase

^ A religious mendicant.

H 2

180 FOLK-TALES OF BENGAL. . [xi.

buried in deep pits in the earth, and the thing was
so managed that no one could discover any trace
of it.

The next morning when the king heard that the
camel-driver was lying drunk in the street, and that
the camel had been made away with together with the
treasure, he was almost beside himself with anger.
Proclamation was made in the city to the effect that
whoever caught the thief would get the reward of a
lakh of rupees. The son of the younger thief — who, by
the way, was in the same school of roguery with the
son of the elder thief, though he did not distinguish
himself so much — now came to the front and said that
he would apprehend the thief He of course suspected
that the son of the elder thief must have done it — for
who so daring and clever as he ? In the evening of the
following day the son of the younger thief disguised
himself as a woman, and coming to that part of the
town where the young thief lived, began to weep very
much, and went from door to door saying — *' O sirs, can
any of you give me a bit of camel's flesh, for my son is
dying, and the doctors say nothing but eating camel's
meat can save his life. O for pity's sake, do give me a
bit of camel's flesh." At last he went to the house of
the young thief, and begged of the wife — for the young
thief himself was out — to tell him where he could get
hold of camel's flesh, as his son would assuredly perish
if it could not be got. Saying this he rent the air with

XI.] THE ADVENTURES OF TWO THIEVES, ETC. 181

his cries, and fell down at the feet of the young thief s
wife. Woman as she was, though the wife of a thief,
she felt pity for the supposed woman, and said — " Wait,
and I will try and get some cameVs flesh for your son."
So saying, she secretly went to the spot where the dead
camel had been buried, brought a small quantity of
flesh, and gave it to the party. The son of the younger
thief was now entranced with joy. He went and told
the king that he had succeeded in tracing the thief,
and would be ready to deliver him up at night if the
king would send some constables with him. At night
the elder thief and his son were captured, the body of the
camel dug out, e^d all the treasures in the house seized.
The foUowing morning the king sat in judgment. The
son of the elder thief confessed that he had stolen the
queen's gold chain, and killed the maid-servant, and
had taken away the camel; but he added that the
person who had detected him, and his father — the
younger thief — were also thieves find murderers, of
which fact he gave undoubted proofs. As the king had
promised to give a lakh of rupees to the detective,
that sum was placed before the son of the younger
thief. But soon after he ordered four pits to be dug in
the earth in which were buried aJive, with all sorts of
thorns and thistles, the older thief and the younger
thief, and their two sons.

Here my story endeth.

The Natiya-thom withereth, &c.

XII.

THE 6H0ST-BRAHMAK.

Once on a time there lived a poor Brahman, who
not being a Eulin, found it the hardest thing in the
world to get married. He went to rich people and
begged of them to give him money that he might
marry a wife. And a large sum of money was needed,
not so much for the expenses of the wedding, as for
giving to the parents of the bride. He begged from
door to door, flattered many rich folk, and at last suc-
ceeded in scraping together the sum needed. The wed- >
ding took place in due time ; and he brought home his
wife to his mother. After a short time he said to his
mother — *' Mother, I have no means to support you and
my wife ; I must therefore go to distant countries to
get money somehow or other. I may be away for
years, for I won't return till I get a good sum. In the
meantime 111 give you what I have; you make the
best of it, and take care of my wife." The Brahman
receiving his mother's blessing set out on his travels.

XII.] THE GHOST-BRAHMAN. 183

In the evening of that very day, a ghost assuming the
exact appearance of the Brahman came into the house.
The newly married woman, thinking it was her husband,
said to him — " How is it that you have returned so
soon? You said you might be away for years; why
have you changed your mind?" The ghost said —
" To-day is not a lucky day, I have therefore returned
home; besides, I have already got some money." The
mother did not doubt but that it was her son. So the
ghost lived in the house as if he was its owner, and as
if he was the son of the old woman and the husband of
the young woman. As the ghost and the Brahman
were exactly like each other in every thing, like two
peas, the people in the neighbourhood all thought that
the ghost was the real Brahman. After some years the
Brahman returned from his travels; and what was his
surprise when he found another like him in the house.
The ghost said to the Brahman — " Who are you ? what
business have you to come to my house ? " " Who am
I ? " replied the Brahman, '* let me ask who you are.
This is my house ; that is my mother, and this is my
wife.*' The ghost said — " Why herein is a strange
thing. Every one knows that this is my house, that is
my wife, and yonder is my mother ; and I have lived
here for years. And you pretend this is your house, and
that woman is your wife. Your head must have got
turned. Brahman." So saying the ghost drove away
the Brahman from his house. The Brahman became

184 FOLK-TALES OF BENGAL. [xii.

mute with wonder. He did not know what to do. At
last he bethought himself of going to the king and of
laying his case before him. The king saw the gliost-
Brahman as well as the Brahman, and the one was the
picture of the other ; so he was in a fix, and did not
know how to decide the quarrel. Day after day the
Brahman went to the king and besought him to give
him back his house, his wife, and his mother ; and the
king, not knowing what to say every time, put him
off to the following day. Every day the king tells him
to — " Come to-morrow ; " and every day the Brahman
goes away from the palace weeping and striking his
forehead with the palm of his hand, and saying — " What
a wicked world' this is! I am driven from my own
house, and another fellow has taken possession of my
house and of my wife ! And what a king this is !
He does not do justice.*'

Now, it came to pass that as the Brahman went away
everyday from the court outside the town, he passed a
spot at which a great many cow-boys used to play.
They let the cows graze on the meadow, while they
themselves met together under a large tree to play.
And they played at royalty. One cow-boy was elected
king; another, prime minister or vizier; another,
Jcotwal, or prefect of the police ; and others, constables.
Every day for several days together they saw the
Brahman passing by weeping. One day the cow-boy
king asked his vizier whether he knew why the Brahman

XII.J THE GHOST-BRAHMAN. 185

wept every day. On the vizier not being able to answer
the question, the cow-boy-king ordered one of his
constables to bring the Brahman to him. One of them
went and said to the Brahman — "The king requires
your immediate attendance." The Brahman replied —
" What for ? I have just come from the king, and he
put me off till to-morrow. Why does he want me
again ? " " It is our king that wants you — our neat-
herd king," rejoined the constable. " Who is neat-herd
king ? " asked the Brahman. '* Come and see," was
the reply. The neat-herd king then asked the Brahman
why he every day went away weeping. The Brahman
then told him his sad story. The neat-herd king, after
hearing the whole, said, '* I understand your case ; I
will give you again all your rights. Only go to the king
and ask his permission for me to decide your case."
The Brahman went back to the king of the country,
and begged his Majesty to send his case to the neat-
herd king, who had offered to decide it. The king,
whom the case had greatly puzzled, granted the per-
mission sought. The following morning was fixed for
the trial. The neat-herd king, who saw through the
whole, brought with him next day a phial with a narrow
neck. The Brahman and the ghost-Brahman both
appeared at the bar. After a great deal of examination
of witnesses and of speech- making, the neat-herd king
said — " Well, I have heard enough. Til decide the case
at once. Here is this phial. Whichever of you will

IB* FOLK-TALES OF BENGAL. [xu.

mute with wonder. He did not know what to do. At
last he bethought himself of going to the king and of
laying his case before him. The king saw the glioat-
Brahman as well as the Brahman, and the one was the
picture of the other ; so he was in a fix, and did not
know how to decide the quarrel. Day after day the
Brahman went to the king and besought him to give
him back his bouse, his wife, and his mother; and the
king, not knowing what to say every time, put him
off to the following day. Every day the king tells him
to — " Come to-morrow ; " and every day the Brahman
goes away from the palace weeping and striking hia
forehead witli the palm of his hand, and saying — " What
a wicked world' this isl I am driven from my own
house, and another fellow has taken possession of my
house and of my wife ! And what a kii^ this is !
He does not do justice."

Now, it came to pass that as the Brahman went away
every day from the court outside the town, he passed a
spot at which a great many cow-boys used to play.
They let the cows graaw oa the meadow, while they
themselves met together under a large tree to p'ay.
And they played at royalty. One cow-boy was elected
king; another, prime minister or vizier; another,
kotwal, or prefect of ilie police; and others, constables.
I Every day for sevend days together they saw the
pnsiing by weeping. One day the cow-boy
1 his viziei whether he knew why the Btahman

XII.J THE GHOST-BRAHMAN. 185

wept every day. On the vizier not being able to answer
the question, the cow-boy-king ordered one of his
constables to bring the Brahman to him. One of them
went and said to the Brahman — "The king requires
your immediate attendance." The Brahman replied —
" What for ? I have just come from the king, and he
put me off till to-morrow. Why does he want me
again ? " " It is our king that wants you — our neat-
herd king," rejoined the constable. " Who is neat-herd
king ? " asked the Brahman. '* Come and see," was
the reply. The neat-herd king then asked the Brahman
why he every day went away weeping. The Brahman
then told him his sad story. The neat-herd king, after
hearing the whole, said, " I understand your case ; I
will give you again all your rights. Only go to the king
and ask his permission for me to decide your case."
The Brahman went back to the king of the country,
and begged his Majesty to send his case to the neat-
herd king, who had offered to decide it. The king,
whom the case had greatly puzzled, granted the per-
mission sought. The following morning was fixed for
the trial. The neat-herd king, who saw through the
whole, brought with him next day a phial with a narrow
neck. The Brahman and the ghost-Brahman both
appeared at the bar. After a great deal of examination
of witnesses and of speech- making, the neat-herd king
said — " Well, I have heard enough. I'll decide the case
at once. Here is this phial. Whichever of you will

184 FOLK-TALES OF BENGAL. [xii.

mute with wonder. He did not know what to do. At
last he bethought himself of going to the king and of
laying his case before him. The king saw the gliost-
Brahman as well as the Brahman, and the one was the
picture of the other ; so he was in a fix, and did not
know how to decide the quarrel. Day after day the
Brahman went to the king and besought him to give
him back his house, his wife, and his mother ; and the
king, not knowing what to say every time, put him
off to the following day. Every day the king tells him
to — "Come to-morrow;" and every day the Brahman
goes away from the palace weeping and striking his
forehead with the palm of his hand, and saying — " What
a wicked world' this is! I am driven from my own
house, and another fellow has taken possession of my
house and of my wife ! And what a king this is !
He does not do justice.*'

Now, it came to pass that as the Brahman went away
everyday from the court outside the town, he passed a
spot at which a great many cow-boys used to play.
They let the cows graze oa the meadow, while they
themselves met together under a large tree to play.
And they played at royalty. One cow-boy was elected
king; another, prime minister or vizier; another,
Jcotwal, or prefect of the police ; and others, constables.
Every day for several days together they saw the
Brahman passing by weeping. One day the cow-boy
king asked his vizier whether he knew why the Brahman

XII.J THE GHOST-BRAHMAN. 185

wept every day. On the vizier not being able to answer
the question, the cow-boy-king ordered one of his
constables to bring the Brahman to him. One of them
went and said to the Brahman — "The king requires
your immediate attendance." The Brahman replied —
" What for ? I have just come from the king, and he
put me off till to-morrow. Why does he want me
again ? " " It is our king that wants you — our neat-
herd king," rejoined the constable. " Who is neat-herd
king ? " asked the Brahman. " Come and see," was
the reply. The neat-herd king then asked the Brahman
why he every day went away weeping. The Brahman
then told him his sad story. The neat-herd king, after
hearing the whole, said, '* I understand your case ; I
will give you again all your rights. Only go to the king
and ask his permission for me to decide your case."
The Brahman went back to the king of the country,
and begged his Majesty to send his case to the neat-
herd king, who had oflfered to decide it. The king,
whom the case had greatly puzzled, granted the per-
mission sought. The following morning was fixed for
the trial. The neat-herd king, who saw through the
whole, brought with him next day a phial with a narrow
neck. The Brahman and the ghost-Brahman both
appeared at the bar. After a great deal of examination
of witnesses and of speech- making, the neat-herd king
said — " Well, I have heard enough. I'll decide the case
at once. Here is this phial. Whichever of you will

184 FOLK-TALES OF BENGAL. [xii.

mute with wonder. He did not know what to do. At
last he bethought himself of going to the king and of
laying his case before him. The king saw the gliost-
Brahman as well as the Brahman, and the one was the
picture of the other ; so he was in a fix, and did not
know how to decide the quarrel. Day after day the
Brahman went to the king and besought him to give
him back his house, his wife, and his mother ; and the
king, not knowing what to say every time, put him
off to the following day. Every day the king tells him
to — " Come to-morrow ; " and every day the Brahman
goes away from the palace weeping and striking his
forehead with the palm of his hand, and saying — " What
a wicked world ' this is ! I am driven from my own
house, and another fellow has taken possession of my
house and of my wife ! And what a king this is !
He does not do justice.*'

Now, it came to pass that as the Brahman went away
everyday from the court outside the town, he passed a
spot at which a gr^at many cow-boys used to play.
They let the cows graze on the meadow, while they
themselves met together under a large tree to play.
And they played at royalty. One cow-boy was elected
king; another, prime minister or vizier; another,
kotwal, or prefect of the police ; and others, constables.
Every day for several days together they saw the
Brahman passing by weeping. One day the cow-boy
king asked his vizier whether he knew why the Brahman

xii.J THE GHOST-BRAHMAN. 185

wept every day. On the vizier not being able to answer
the question, the cow-boy-king ordered one of his
constables to bring the Brahman to him. One of them
went and said to the Brahman — "The king requires
your immediate attendance." The Brahman rephed —
"What for ? I have just come from the king, and he
put me off till to-morrow. Why does he want me
again ? " " It is our king that wants you — our neat-
herd king," rejoined the constable. " Who is neat-herd
king ? " asked the Brahman. '* Come and see," was
the reply. The neat-herd king then asked the Brahman
why he every day went away weeping. The Brahman
then told him his sad story. The neat-herd king, after
hearing the whole, said, '* I understand your case ; I
will give you again all your rights. Only go to the king
and ask his permission for me to decide your case."
The Brahman went back to the king of the country,
and begged his Majesty to send his case to the neat-
herd king, who had oflfered to decide it. The king,
whom the case had greatly puzzled, granted the per-
mission sought. The following morning was fixed for
the trial. The neat-herd king, who saw througli the
whole, brought with him next day a phial with a narrow
neck. The Brahman and the ghost-Brahman both
appeared at the bar. After a great deal of examination
of witnesses and of speech- making, the neat-herd king
said — " Well, I have heard enough. 1*11 decide the case
at once. Here is this phial. Whichever of you will

186 FOLK-TALES OF BENGAL. [xii.

enter into it shall be declared by the court to be the
rightful owner of the house the title of which is in dis-
pute. Now, let me see, which of you will enter." The
Brahman said — " You are a neat-herd, and your intellect
is that of a neat-herd. What man can enter into such
a small phial ? " " If you cannot enter," said the neat-
herd king, "then you are not the rightful owner.
What do you say, sir, to this ? *' turning to the ghost-
Brahman and addressing him. '' If you can enter into
the phial, then the house and the wife and the mother
become yours." " Of course I will enter," said the
ghost. And true to his word, to the wonder of all, he
made himself into a small creature like an insect, and
entered into the phial. The neat-herd king forthwith
corked up the phial, and the ghost could not get out.
Then, addressing the Brahman, the neat-herd king said,
" Throw this phial into the bottom of the sea, and take
possession of your house, wife, and mother." The
Brahman did so, and lived happily for many years and
begat sons and daughters.

Here my story endeth.

The Natiya-thom withereth, &c.

xni.

THE MAN WHO WISHED TO BE PERFECT.

Once on a time a religious mendicant came to a
king who had no issue, and said to him, " As you are
anxious to have a son, I can give to the queen a drug,
by swallowing which she will give birth to twin sons ;
but I will give the medicine on this condition, that of
those twins you will give one to me, and keep the
other yourself." The king thought the condition some-
what hard, but as he was anxious to have a son to bear
his name, and inherit his wealth and kingdom, he at
last agreed to the terms. Accordingly the queen
swallowed the drug, and in due time gave birth to two
sons. The twin brothers became one year old, two years
old, three years old, four years old, five years old, and
still the mendicant did not appear to claim his share ;
the king and queen therefore thought that the men-
dicant, who was old, was dead, and dismissed all fears
from their minds. But the mendicant was not dead,
but living ; he was counting the years carefully. The

188 FOLK-TALES OF BENGAL. [xiii.

young princes were put under tutors, and made rapid
progress in learning, as well as in the arts of riding and
shooting with the bow ; and as they were uncommonly
handsome, they were admired by all the people. When
the princes were sixteen years old the mendicant made
his appearance at the palace gate, and demanded the
fulfilment of the king's promise. The heart of the
king and of the queen were dried up within them.
They had thought that the mendicant was no more in
the land of the living; but what was their surprise
when they saw him standing at the gate in flesh and
blood, and demanding one of the young princes for
himself. The king and queen were plunged into a sea
of grief. There was nothing for it, however, but to part
with one of the princes ; for the mendicant might by
his curse turn into ashes, not only both the princes,
but also the king, queen, palace, and the whole of the
kingdom to boot But which one was to be given
away ? The one was as dear as the other. A fearful
struggle arose in the heart of the king and queen. As
for the young princes, each of them said, " I'll go,"
" 1*11 go." The younger one said to the elder, " You are
older, if only by a few minutes ; you are the pride of
my father; you remain at home. Til go with the
mendicant." The elder said to the younger, " You are
younger than I am ; you are the joy of my mother ;
you remain at home, I'll go with the mendicant." After
a great deal of yea and nay, after a great deal of

xinj THE MAN WHO WISHED TO BE PERFECT. 189

mourning and lamentation, after the queen had wetted
her clothes with her tears, the elder prince was let
go with the mendicant. But before the prince left his
father's roof he planted with his own hands a tree in
the courtyard of the palace, and said to his parents and
brother, " This tree is my life. When you see the tree
green and fresh, then know that it is well with me ;
when you see the tree fade in some parts, then know
that I am in an ill case ; and when you see the whole
tree fade, then know that I am dead and gone." Then
kissing and embracing the king and queen and his
brother, he followed the mendicant.

As the mendicant and the prince were wending their
way towards the forest they saw some dog's whelps on
the road-side. One of the whelps said to its dam —
" Mother, I wish to go with that handsome young man,
who must be a prince." The dam said — " Go ; " and the
prince gladly took the puppy as his companion. They
had not gone far when upon a tree on the roadside they
saw a hawk and its young ones. One of the young ones
said to its dam — " Mother, I wish to go with that hand-
some young man who must be the son of a king." The
hawk said — " Go," and the prince gladly took the young
hawk as his companion. So the mendicant, the prince
with the puppy and the young hawk went on their
journey. At last they went into the depth of the forest
far away from the houses of men, where they stopped
before a hut thatched with leaves. That was the

190 FOLK-TALES OF BENGAL. [xiii.

mendicant's cell. The mendicant said to the prince —
" You are to live in this hut with me. Your chief work
will be to cull flowers from the forest for my devotions.
You can go on every side except the north. If you go
towards the north evil will betide you. You can eat
whatever fruit or root you like ; and for your drink,
you will get it from the brook. ** The prince disliked
neither the place nor his work. At dawn he used to
cull flowers in the forest and give them to the
mendicant; after which the mendicant went away
somewhere the whole day and did not return till sun-
down ; so the prince had the whole day to himself. He
used to walk about in the forest with his two com-
panions — the puppy and the young hawk. He used to
shoot arrows at the deer, of which there was a great
number ; and thus made the best of his time. One day
as he pierced a stag with an arrow, the wounded stag
ran towards the north, and the prince, not thinking of
the mendicant's behest, followed the stag, which entered
into a fine-looking house that stood close by. The
prince entered, but instead of finding the deer he saw a
young woman of matchless beauty sitting near the door
with a dice-table set before her. The prince was rooted
to the spot while he admired the heaven-bom beauty of
the lady. " Come in, stranger," said the lady, ** chance
has brought you here, but don*t go away without
having with me a game of dice." The prince gladly
agreed to the proposal As it was a game of risk they

XIII.] THE MAN WHO WISHED TO BE PERFECT. 191

agreed that if the prince lost the game he should give
his young hawk to the lady ; and that if the lady lost
it, she should give to the prince a young hawk just like
that of the prince. The lady won the game ; she
therefore took the prince's young hawk and kept it in a
hole covered with a plank. The prince offered to play
a second time, and the lady agreeing to it, they fell to
it again, on the condition that if the lady won the game
she should take the prince's puppy, and if she lost it
she should give to the prince a puppy just like that of
the prince. The lady won again, and stowed away the
puppy in another hole with a plank upon it. The
prince offered to play a third time, and the wager was
that, if the prince lost the game, he should give himself
up to the lady to be done to by her anything she
pleased ; and that if he won, the lady should give him
a young man exactly like himself. The lady won the
game a third time ; she therefore caught hold of the
prince and put him in a hole covered over with a
plank. Now, the beautiful lady was not a woman at
all ; she was a Rakshasi who lived upon human flesh,
and her mouth watered at the sight of the tender body
of the young prince. But as she had had her food
that day she reserved the prince for the meal of
the following day.

Meantime there was great weeping in the house of
the prince's father. His brother used every day to
look at the tree planted in the courtyard by his own

192 FOLK-TALES OF BENGAL. [xm.

hand. Hitherto he had found the leaves of a living
green colour ; but suddenly he found some leaves fading.
He gave the alarm to the king and queen, and told
them how the leaves were fading. They concluded
that the life of the elder prince must be in great danger.
The younger prince therefore resolved to go to the help
of his brother, but before going he planted a tree in
the courtyard of the palace, similar to the one his
brother had planted, and which was to be the index of
the manner of his life. He chose the swiftest steed in
the king's stables, and galloped towards the forest. In
the way he saw a dog with a puppy, and the puppy
thinking that the rider was the same that had taken
away his fellow-cub — for the two princes were exactly
like each other — said, " As you have taken away my
brother, take me also with you." The younger prince
understanding that his brother had taken away a puppy,
he took up that cub as a companion. Further on, a
young hawk, which was perched on a tree on the road-
side, said to the prince, "You have taken away my
brother, take me also, I beseech you ; '* on which the
younger prince readily took it up. With these com-
panions he went into the heart of the forest, where he
saw a hut which he supposed to be the mendicant's.
But neither the mendicant nor his brother was there.
Not knowing what to do or where to go, he dismounted
from his horse, allowed it to graze, while he himself sat
inside the house. At sunset the mendicant returned to

XIII.] THE MAN WHO WISHED TO BE PERFECT. 198

his hut, and seeing the younger prince said — "I am
glad to see you, I told your brother never to go towards
the north, for evil in that case would betide him ; but
it seems that, disobeying my orders, he has gone to the
north and has fallen into the toils of a Rakshasi who
lives there. There is no hope of rescuing him ; perhaps
he has already been devoured." The younger prince
forthwith went towards the north, where he saw a stag
which he pierced with an arrow. The stag ran into a
house which stood by, and the younger prince followed
it. He was not a little astonished when instead of
seeing a stag he saw a woman of exquisite beauty. He
immediately concluded from what he had heard from
the mendicant that the pretended woman was none
other than the Rakshasi in whose power his brother
was. The lady asked him to play a game of dice with
her. He complied with the request, and on the same
conditions on which the elder prince had played. The
younger prince won ; on which the lady produced the
young hawk from the hole and gave it to the prince.
The joy of the two hawks on meeting each other was
great. The lady and the prince played a second time,
and the prince won again. The lady therefore brought
to the prince the young puppy lying in the hole. They
played a third time and the prince won a third time.
The lady demurred to producing a young man exactly
like the prince, pretending that it was impossible to get
one, but on the prince insisting upon the fulfilment of the

194 FOLK-TALES OF BENGAL. [xnL

condition his brother was produced. The joj of the two
brothers on meeting each other was great. The Rak-
shasi said to the princes, '' Don't kill me, and I will tell
you a secret which will save the life of the elder prince."
She then told them that the mendicant was a wor-
shipper of the goddess Kali, who had a temple not far
oflF; that he belonged to that sect of Hindus who seek
perfection from intercourse with the spirits of departed
men ; that he had already sacrificed at the altar of Kali
six human victims whose skulls could be seen in niches
inside her temple; that he would become perfect
when the seventh victim was sacrificed ; and that the
elder prince was intended for the seventh victim. The
Rakshasi then told the prince to go immediately to the
temple to find out the truth of what she had said. To
the temple they accordingly went. When the elder
prince went inside the temple, the skulls in the niches
laughed a ghastly laugh. Horror-struck at the sight
and sound, he inquired the cause of the laughter;
and the skulls told him that they were glad because
they were about to get another added to their number.
One of the skulls, as spokesman of the rest, said —
" Young prince, in a few days the mendicant's devo-
tions will be completed, and you will be brought into
this temple and your head will be cut off, and you will
keep company with us. But there is one way by which
you can escape that fate and do us good." " Oh, do tell
me/' said the prince, " what that way is, and I promise

XIII.] THE MAN WHO WISHED TO BE PERFECT. 195

to do you all the good I can." The skull replied —
" When the mendicant brings you into this temple
to oflfer you up as a sacrifice, before cutting off your
head he will tell you to prostrate yourself before Mother
Kali, and while you prostrate yourself he will cut off
your head. But take our advice, when he tells you to
bow down before Kali, you tell him that as a prince
you never bowed down to any one, that you never knew
what bowing down was, and that the mendicant should
show it to you by himself doing it in your presence. And
when he bows down to show you how it is done, you
take up your sword and separate his head from his
body. And when you do that we shall all be restored to
life, as the mendicant's vows will be unfulfilled." The
elder prince thanked the skulls for their advice, and
went into the hut of the mendicant along with his
younger brother.

In the course of a few days the mendicant's devotions
were completed. On the following day he told the
prince to go along with him to the temple of Kali, for
what reason he did not mention ; but the prince knew
it was to offer him up as a victim to the goddess. The
younger prince also went with them, but he was not
allowed to go inside the temple. The mendicant then
stood in the presence of Kali and said to the prince —
" Bow down to the goddess." The prince replied, " I
have not, as a prince, bowed to any one ; I do not know
how to perform the act of prostration. Please show me

o 2

•\

196 FOLK-TALES OF BENGAL. [xm.

the way first, and I'll gladly do it.** The mendicant
then prostrated himself before the goddess ; and while
he was doing so the prince at one stroke of his swoid
separated his head from his body. Immediately the
skulls in the niches of the temple laughed aloud, and
the goddess herself became propitious to the prince and
gave him that virtue of perfection which the mendicant
had sought to obtain. The skulls were again united to
their respective bodies and became living men, and the
two princes returned to their country.

Here mv storv endeth.

The Natiya-thom withereth, &a

XIV,

A GHOSTLY WIFE.

Once on a time there lived a Brahman who had
married a wife, and who lived in the same house with
his mother. Near his house was a tank, on the em-
bankment of which stood a tree, on the boughs of which
lived a ghost of the kind called Sankchinni} One night
the Brahman's wife had occasion to go to the tank, and
as she went she brushed by a Sankchinni who stood
near ; on which the she-ghost got very angry with the
woman, seized her by the throat, climbed into her tree,
and thrust her into a hole in the trunk. There the
woman . lay almost dead with fear. The ghost put on
the clothes of the woman and went into the house of
the Brahman. Neither the Brahman nor his mother
had any inkling of the change. The Brahman thought
his wife returned from the tank, and the mother

^ Sankckinnis or SanJchachumis are female ghosts of white com-
plexion. They usually stand at the dead of night at the foot of trees,
and look like sheets of white cloth.

193 FOLK-TALES OF BENGAL. [xir.

thought that it was her daughter-in-law. Xext mom-
iDg the mother-in-law discovered some change in her
danghter-in-Iaw. Her daughter-in-law, she knew, was
constitutionally weak and languid, and took a long time
to do the woik of the house. But she had apparently
become quite a different person. All of a sudden she
had become verv active. She now did the work of the
house in an incredibly short time. Suspecting nothing,
the old woman said nothing either to her son or to her
daughter-in-law; on the contrary, she inly rejoiced
that her daughter-in-law had turned over a new leaf
But her surprise became every day greater and greater.
The cooking of the household was done in much less
time than before. When the mother-in-law wanted the
daughter-in-law to bring any thing from the next room,
it was brought in much less time than was required
in walking from one room to the other. The ghost
instead of going inside the next room would stretch a
long arm — for ghosts can lengthen or shorten any limb
of their bodies — from the door and get the thing. One
day the old woman observed the ghost doing this. She
ordered her to bring a vessel fix)m some distance, and
the ghost unconsciously stretched her hand to several
yards' distance, and brought it in a trice. The old
woman was struck with wonder at the sight. She said
nothing to her, but spoke to her son. Both mother and
son began to watch the ghost more narrowly. One day
the old woman knew that there was no fire in the house.

XIV.] A GHOSTLY WIFE. 109

and she knew also that her daughter-in-law had not
gone out of doors to get it ; and yet, strange to say, the
hearth in the kitchen-room was quite in a blaze. She
went in, and, to her infinite surprise, found that her
daughter-in-law was not using any fuel for cooking,
but had thrust into the oven her foot, which was blaz-
ing brightly. The old mother told her son what she
had seen, and they both concluded that the young
woman in the house was not his real wife but a she-
ghost. The son witnessed those very acts of the ghost
which his mother had seen. An Ojha ^ was therefore
sent for. The exorcist came, and wanted in the first
instance to ascertain whether the woman was a real
woman or a ghost. For this purpose he lighted a piece
of turmeric and set it below the nose of the supposed
woman. Now this was an infallible test, as no ghost,
whether male or female, can put up with the smell of
burnt turmeric. The moment the lighted turmeric was
taken near her, she screamed aloud and ran away from
the room. It was now plain that she was either a
ghost or a woman possessed by a ghost. The woman
was caught hold of by main force and asked who she
was. At first she refused to make any disclosures, on
which the Ojha took up his slippers and began belabour-
ing her with them. Then the ghost said with a strong
nasal accent — for all ghosts speak through the nose —
that she was a Sanhchinni, that she lived on a tree by

^ An exorcist, one who diives away ghosts from possessed persons.

200 FOLK TALES OF BENGAL. [xrr.

the side of the tank, that she had seized the young
Brahmani and put her in the hollow of her tree
because one night she had touched her, and that if
any person went to the hole the woman would be found.
The woman was brought from the tree almost dead ;
the ghost was again shoebeaten, after which process on
her declaring solemnly that she would not again do any
harm to the Brahman and his family, she was released
from the spell of the Ojha and sent away ; and the wife
of the Brahman recovered slowly. After which the
Brahman and his wife lived many years happily
together and begat many sons and daughters.

Thus my story endetb,

The Natiya-thom witheTctb, &c.

XV.

THE STORY OF A BRAHMADAITYA.^

Once on a time there lived a poor Brahman who had
a wife. As he had no means of livelihood, he used
every day to beg from door to door, and thus got some
rice which they boiled and ate, together with some
greens which they gleaned from the fields. After some*
time it chanced that the village changed its owner, and
the Brahman bethought himself of asking some boon
of the new laird. So one morning the Brahman went
to the laird's house to pay him court. It so happened
that at that time the laird was making inquiries of his
servants about the village and its various parts. The
laird was told that a certain banyan-tree in the out-
skirts of the village was haunted by a number of
ghosts ; and that no man had ever the boldness to go
to that tree at night. In bygone days some rash
fellows went to the tree at night, but the necks of
them all were wrung, and they all died. Since that

^ The ghost of a Brahman who dies unmarried.

202 FOLK-TALES OF BENGAL. [xv.

time no man had ventured to go to the tree at night,
though in the day some neat-herds took their cows to
the spot The new laird on hearing this said, that if
any one would go at night to the tree, cut one of its
branches and bring it to him, he would make him a
present of a hundred bighas ^ of rent-free land. None
of the servants of the laird accepted the challenge, as
they were sure they would be throttled by the ghosts.
The Brahman, who was sitting there, thought within
himself thus — " I am almost starved to death now, as
I never get my bellyfuL If I go to the tree at night
and succeed in cutting ofiF one of its branches I shall
get one hundred bighas of rent-free land, and become
independent for life. If the ghosts kill me, my case
will not be worse, for to die of hunger is no better than
to be killed by ghosts." He then offered to go to the
tree and cut off a branch that night. The laird re-
newed his promise, and said to the Brahman that if
he succeeded in bringing one of the branches of that
haunted tree at night he would certainly give him one
hundred bighas of rent-free land.

In the course of the day when the people of the
village heard of the laird's promise and of the Brah-
man's offer, they all pitied the poor man. They blamed
him for his foolhardiness, as they were sure the ghosts
would kill him, as they had killed so many before, ffis
wife tried to dissuade him from the rash undertaking ;

^ A bigha is about the third part of an acre.

XV.] THE STORY OF A BRAHMADAITYA. 203

but in vain. He said he would die in any case : but
there was some chance of his escaping, and of thus
becoming independent for life. Accordingly, one hour
after sundown, the Brahman set out. He went to the
outskirts of the village without the slightest fear as far
as a certain vakula-tree (Mimusops Elengi), from which
the haunted tree was about one rope distant. But
under the vakula-ivee the Brahman's heart misgave
him. He began to quake with fear, and the heaving of
his heart was like the upward and downwai'd motion of
the paddy-husking pedal. The vaJcula-iree was the
haunt of a Brahmadaitya, who, seeing the Brahman stop
under the tree, spoke to him, and said, "Are you
afraid, Brahman ? Tell me what you wish to do, and
rU help you. I am a Brahmadaitya." The Brahman
replied, " O blessed spirit, I wish to go to yonder
banyan-tree, and cut oflf one of its branches for the
zemindar, who has promised to give me one hundred
Ughas of rent-free land for it. But my courage is
failing me. I shall thank you very much for helping
me." The Brahmadaitya answered, "Certainly I'll
help you. Brahman. Go on towards the tree, and Til
come with you." The Brahman, relying on the super-
natural strength of his invisible patron, who is the
object of the fear and reverence of common ghosts,
fearlessly walked towards the haunted tree, on reaching
which he began to cut a branch with the bill which
was in his hand. But the moment the first stroke wag

204 FOLK-TALES OF BENGAL. [rv.

given, a great many ghosts rushed towards the
Brahman, who would have been torn to pieces but for
the interference of the Brahmadaitya. The Brah-
madaitya said in a commanding tone, " Ghosts, listen.
This is a poor Brahman. He wishes to get a branch of
this tree which will be of great use to him. It is my
will that you let him cut a branch." The ghosts,
hearing the voice of the Brahmadaitya, replied, " Be it
according to thy will, lord. At thy bidding we are
ready to do anything! Let not the Brahman take the
trouble of cutting ; we ourselves will cut a branch for
him." So saying, in the twinkling of an eye, the ghosts
put into the hands of the Brahman a branch of the
tree, with which he went as fast as his legs could carry
him to the house of the zemindar. The zemindar and
his people were not a little surprised to see the branch ;
but he said, " Well, I must see to-morrow whether this
branch is a branch of the haunted tree or not ; if it be,
you will get the promised reward."

Next morning the zemindar himself went along with
his servants to the haunted tree, and found to their
infinite surprise that the branch in their hands was
really a branch of that tree, as they saw the part from
which it had been cut oflF. Being thus satisfied, the
zemindar ordered a deed to be drawn up, by which he
gave to the Brahman for ever one hundred highas of
rent-firee land. Thus in one night the Brahman became
a rich man.

XV.] THE STORY OF A BRAHMADAITYA. 205

It SO happened that the fields, of which the Brahman
became the owner, were covered with ripe paddy, ready
for the sickle. But the Brahman had not the means to
reap the golden harvest. He had not a pice in his
pocket for paying the wages of the reapers. What was
the Brahman to do ? He went to his spirit-friend the
Brahmadaitya, and said, " Oh, Brahmadaitya, I am in
great distress. Through your kindness I got the rent-
free land all covered with ripe paddy. But I have not
the means of cutting the paddy, as I am a poor man.
What shall I do ? '* The kind Brahmadaitya answered,
" Oh, Brahman, don't be troubled in your mind about
the matter. Ill see to it that the paddy is not only
cut, but that the com is threshed and stored up in
granaries, and the straw piled up in ricks. Only you
do one thing. Borrow from men in the village one
hundred sickles, and put them all at the foot of this
tree at night. Prepare also the exact spot on which the
grain and the straw are to be stored up."

The joy of the Brahman knew no bounds. He
easily got a hundred sickles, as the husbandmen of the
village, knowing that he had become rich, readily lent
him what he wanted. At sunset he took the hundred
sickles and put them beneath the vakula-tTee. He also
selected a spot of ground near his hut for his magazine
of paddy and for his ricks of straw ; and washed the
spot with a solution of cow-dung and water. After
making these preparations he went to sleep.

2(M FOLK-TALES OF BENGAL. [xv.

In the meantime, soon after nightfall, when the
villagers had all retired to their houses, the Brahma-
daitya called to him the ghosts of the haunted tree,
who were one hundred in numher, and said to them,
"You must to-night do some work for the poor
Brahman whom I am hefriending. The hundred highas
of land which he has got from the zemindar are all
covered with standing ripe com. He has not the
means to reap it. This night you all must do the work
for him. Here are, you see, a hundred sickles; let
each of you take a sickle in hand and come to the field
I shall show him. There are a hundred of you. Let
each ghost cut the paddy of one higha^ bring the
sheaves on his back to the Brahman's house, thresh the
com, put the com in one large granary, and pile up the
straw in separate ricks. Now, don't lose time. You
must do it all this very night." The hundred ghosts
at once said to the Brahmadaitya, '* We are ready to do
whatever your lordship commands us." The Brahma-
daitya showed the ghosts the Brahman's house, and the
spot prepared for receiving the grain and the straw, and
then took them to the Brahman's fields, all waving with
the golden hai*vest. The ghosts at once fell to it. A
ghost harvest-reaper is different jfrom a human harvest-
reaper. What a man cuts in a whole day, a ghost cuts
in a minute. Mash, mash, rrmsh^ the sickles went
round, and the long stalks of paddy fell to the ground.
The reaping over, the ghosts took up the sheaves on

XV.] THE STORY OF A BRAHMADAITYA. 207

their huge backs and carried them all to the Brahman's
house. The ghosts then separated the grain from the
straw, stored up the grain in one huge store-house, and
piled up the straw in many a fantastic rick. It was
full two hours before sunrise when the ghosts finished
their work and retired to rest on their tree. No words
can tell either the joy of the Brahman and his wife
when early next morning they opened the door of their
hut, or the surprise of the villagers, when they saw
the huge granary and the fantastic ricks of straw. The
villagers did not understand it* They at once ascribed
it to the gods.

A few days after this the Brahman went to the
vakula-tree, and said to the Brahmadaitya, " I have one
more favour to ask of you, Brahmadaitya. As the gods
have been very gracious to me, I wish to feed one
thousand Brahmans; and I shall thank you for pro-
viding me with the materials of the feast." ** With the
greatest pleasure," said the polite Brahmadaitya ; " 111
supply you with the requirements of a feast for a
thousand Brahmans ; only show me the cellars in which
the provisions are to be stored away/* The Brahman
improvised a store-room. The day before the feast the
store-room was overflowing with provisions. There
were one hundred jars of ghi (clarified butter), one hill
of flour, one hundred jars of sugar, one hundred jars of
milk, curds, and congealed milk, and the other thousand
and one things required in a great Brahmanical feast.

208 FOLK-TALES OF BENGAL. [xv.

The next morning one hundred Brahman pastrycooks
were employed ; the thousand Brahmans ate their fill ;
but the host, the Brahman of the story, did not eat.
He thought he would eat with the Brahmadaitya. But
the Brahmadaitya, who was present there though
unseen, told him that he could not gratify him on that
point, as by befriending the Brahman the Brahmadai-
tya*s allotted period had come to an end, and the push-
paka ^ chariot had been sent to him from heaven. The
Brahmadaitya, being released from his ghostly life, was
taken up into heaven ; and the Brahman lived happily
for many years, begetting sons and grandsons.

Here my story endeth,

The Natiya-thorn withereth, &c.

^ The chariot of Kuvera, the Hindu god of riches.

XVI.

THE STORY OF A HIRAMAN.*

There was a fowler who had a wife. The fowler's
wife said to her husband one day, " My dear, I'll tell
you the reason why we are always in want. It is
because you sell every bird you catch by your rods,
whereas if we sometimes eat some of the birds you
catch, we are sure to have better luck. I propose there-
fore that whatever bird or birds you bag to-day we do
not sell, but dress and eat." The fowler agreed to his
wife's proposal, and went out a-bird-catching. He
went about from wood to wood with his limed rods,
accompanied by his wife, but in vain. Somehow or
other they did not succeed in catching any bird till
near sundown. But just as they were returning home-
wards they caught a beautiful hiraman. The fowler's

^ ^Hiraman (from harUy green, and mam, a gem), the name of -a
beantiful species of parrot, a native of the Molucca Islands (PsUtacus
sinenttis).** — Carey's Dictionary of the Bengalee Language, vol. ii.
part iiL p. 1,537.

210 rOLK-TALES OF BENGAL. [xn.

wife^ taking the bird in her hand and feeling it all
over, said, '' What a small bird this is ! how much meat
can it have? There is no use in killing it." The
hiraman said, ** Mother, do not kill me, bat take me to
the king, and you will get a large sum of money by
selling me" The fowler and his wife were greatly
taken aback on hearing the bird speak, and they asked
the bird what price they should set upon it. The
hiraman answered, ** Leave that to me ; take me to the
king and offer me for sale ; and when the king asks my
price, say, ' The bird will tell its own price,* and then
I'll mention a large sum." The fowler accordingly
went the next day to the king's palace, and offered the
bird for sale. The king, delighted with the beauty of
the bird, asked the fowler what he would take for it.
The fowler said, " O great king, the bird will tell its
own price." ** What ! can the bird speak ? " asked the
king. " Yes, my lord ; be pleased to ask the bird its
price," replied the fowler. The king, half in jest and
half in seriousness, said, ** Well, hiraman, what is your
price ? " The hiraman answered, "Please your majesty,
my price is ten thousand rupees. Do not think that
the price is too high. Count out the money for the
fowler, for I'll be of the greatest service to your
majesty." ** What service can you be of to me, hira-
man ? " asked the king. '* Your majesty will see that
in due time," replied the hiraman. The king, surprised
beyond measure at hearing the hiraman talk, and talk

XVI.] THE STORY OF A HIRAMAN. 211

BO sensibly, took the bird, and ordered his treasurer to
tell down the sum* of ten thousand rupees to the fowler.
The king had six queens, but he was so taken up
with the bird that he almost forgot that they lived ; at
any rate, his days and nights were spent in the com-
pany, not of the queens, but of the bird. The hiraman
not only replied intelligently to every question the king
put, but it recited to him the names of the three hunt
dred and thirty millions of the gods of the Hindu
pantheon, the hearing of which is always regarded as
an act of piety. The queens felt that they were
neglected by the king, became jealous of the bird, and
determined to kill it. It was long before they got an
opportunity, as the bird was the king's inseparable
companion. One day the king went out a-hunting,
and he was to be away from the palace for two days.
The six queens determined to avail themselves of the
opportunity and put an end to the life of the bird.
They said to one another, ** Let us go and ask the bird
which of us is the ugliest in his estimation, and she
whom he pronounces the ugliest shall strangle the
bird." Thus resolved, they all went into the room
where the bird was ; but before the queens could put
any questions the bird so sweetly and so piously recited
the names of the gods and goddesses, that the hearts of
them all were melted into tenderness, and tliey came
away without accomplishing their purpose. The fol-
lowing day, however, their evil genius returned, and

P 2

SIS FOLK TALES OF BENGAL. [xn.

thej called themselres a tboosand fools for having
been direrted firom their purpose. They therefore
determined to steel their hearts against all jHty, and
to kill the bird without delay. They all went into
the room, and said to the bird, " O hiraman, you are a
very wise bird, we hear, and your judgments are all right ;
will you please tell us which of us is the handsomest
and which the ugliest ? " The bird, knowing the evil
design of the queens, said to them, " How can I answ^
your questions remaining in this cage ? In order to
pronounce a correct judgment I must look minutely
on every limb of you all, both in firont and behind.
If you wish to know my opinion you must set me
jfree.'* The women were at first afraid of setting the
bird free lest it should fly away ; but on second thoughts
they set it free after shutting all the doors and windows
of the room. The bird, on examining the room, saw
that it had a water-passage through which it was pos-
sible to escape. When the question was repeated
several times by the queens, the bird said, " The beauty
of not one of you can be compared to the beauty of the
little toe of the lady that lives beyond the seven oceans
and the thirteen rivers." The queens, on hearing their
beauty spoken of in such slighting terms, became ex-
ceedingly furious, and rushed towards the bird to tear
it in pieces ; but before they could get at it, it escaped
through the water-passage, and took shelter in a wood
cutter^s hut which was hard by.

XVI.] THE STORY OF A HIRAMAIT. 318

The next day the king returned home from hunting,
and not finding the hiraman on its perch became mad
with grief. He asked the queens, and they told hirn
that they knew nothing about it. The king wept day
and night for the bird, as he loved it much. TTia
ministers became afraid lest his reason should give way,
for he used every hour of the day to weep, sayings
** my hiraman ! O my hiraman ! where art thou
gone?" Proclamation was made by beat of drum
throughout the kingdom to the eflfect that if any person
could produce before the king his pet hiraman he would
be rewarded with ten thousand rupees. The wood-
cutter, rejoiced at the idea of becoming independent
for life, produced the precious bird and obtained the
reward. The king, on hearing from the parrot that the
queens had attempted to kill it, became mad with rage.
He ordered them to be driven away from the palace
and put in a desert place without food. The king's
order was obeyed, and it was rumoured after a few
days that the poor queens were all devoured by wild
beasts.

After some time the king said to the parrot,
*• Hiraman, you said to the queens that the beauty of
none of them could be compared to the beauty of even
the little toe of the lady who lives on the other side of
the seven oceans and thirteen rivers. Do you know of
any means by which I can get at that lady ? "

Hiraman. — Of course I do. I can take your majesty

214 FOLK-TALES OF BENGAL. txvi*

to the door of the palace in which that lady of peerless
beauty lives; and if your majesty will abide by my
counsel, I will undertake to put that lady into your
arms«

King. — I will do whatever you tell me. What do
you wish me to do ?

Hiraman. — What is required is a pahshiraj?- If you
can procure a horse of that species, you can ride upon
it, and in no time we shall cross the seven oceans and
thirteen rivers, and stand at the door of the lady's
palace.

King, — I have, as you know, a large stud of horses ;
we can now go and see if there are any pakshirajes
amongst them.

The king and the hiraman went to the royal stables
and examined all the horses. The hiraman passed by
all the fine-looking horses and those of high mettle,
Itnd alighted upon a wretched-looking lean pony, and .
Said, *' Here is the horse I want. It is a horse of the
' genuine pakshiraj breed, but it must be fed full six
months with the finest grain before it can answer our
purpose." The king accordingly put that pony in a
stable by itself and himself saw every day that it was
fed with the finest grain that could be got in the
kingdom. Tlie pony rapidly improved in appearance,
and at the end of six months the hiraman pronounced
it fit for service. The parrot then told the king to

* Vinged horse, literally, the king qf tdrcb^

XV1.1 THE STORY OP A HIRAMAN. 215

order the royal silversmith to make some khaia^ of
silver. A large quantity of silver IcJiais was made in
a short time. When about to start on their aerial
journey the hiraman said to the king, "I have one
request to make. Please whip the horse only once at
starting. If you whip him more than once, we shall
not be able to reach the palace, but stick mid-way.
And when we return homewards after capturing the
lady, you are also to whip the horse only once ; if you
whip him more than once, we shall come only half the
way and remain there." The king then got upon the
pakshiraj with the hiraman and the silver Jcfiais, and
gently whipped the animal once. The horse shot
through the air with the speed of lightning, passed
over many countries, kingdoms, and empires, crossed
the oceans and thirteen rivers, and alighted in the
evening at the gate of a beautiful palace.

Now, near the palace-gate there stood a lofty tree.
The hiraman told the king to put the horse in the
stable hard by, and then to climb into the tree and
remain there concealed. The hiraman took the silver
khais, and with its beak began dropping khai after khai
from the foot of the tree, all through the corridors and
passages, up to the door of the bedchamber of the lady
of peerless beauty. After doing this, the hiraman
perched upon the tree where the king was concealed.
Some hours after midnight, the maid-servant of the

^ Khai is fried paddy.

31«3 FOLK.TAI.es of BENGALw [rvi.

lady, who slept in the same room with her, i¥ishing to
come out, opened the door and noticed the silver thodi
lying there. She took up a few of them, and not know-
ing what they were, showed them to her lady. The
lady, admiring the little silver bullets, and wondering
how they could have got there, came out of her room
and began picking them up. She saw a r^ular stream
of them apparently issuing from near the door of her
room, and proceeding she knew not how feur. She went
on picking up in a basket the bright, shiniTig kJiais all
through the corridors and passages, till she came to the
foot of the tree. No sooner did the lady of peerless
beauty come to the foot of the tree than the king,
agreeably to instructions previously given to him by
the hiraman, alighted from the tree and caught hold of
the lady. In a moment she was put upon the horse
along with himself. At that moment the hiraman sat
upon the shoulder of the king, the king gently whipped
the horse once, and they all were whirled through the
air with the speed of lightning. The king, wishing to
reach home soon with the precious prize, and forgetful
of the instructions of the hiraman, whipped the horse
again ; on which the horse at once alighted on the out-
skirts of what seemed a dense forest. " What have you
done, O king ? *' shouted out the hiraman. " Did I not
tell you not to whip the horse more than once ? You
have whipped him twice, and we are done for. We may
meet with our death here." But the thing was done,

xvL] THE STORY OF A HIRAMAN. 217

and it could not be helped. The pdkshiraj became
powerless ; and the party could not proceed homewards.
They dismounted ; but they could not see anywhere
the habitations of men. They ate some fruits and
roots, and slept that night there upon the ground.

Next morning it so chanced that the king of that
country came to that forest to hunt. As he was pur-
suing a stag, whom he had pierced with an arrow, he
came across the king and the lady of peerless beauty.
Struck with the matchless beauty of the lady, he
wished to seize her. He whistled, and in a moment his
attendants flocked around him. The lady was made a
captive, and her lover, who had brought her from her
house on the other side of the seven oceans and thirteen
rivers, was not put to death, but his eyes were put out,
and he was left alone in the forest — alone, and yet not
alone, for the good hiraman was with him.

The lady of peerless beauty was taken into the
king's palace, as well as the pony of her lover. The
lady said to the king that he must not come near her
for six months, in consequence of a vow which she had
takfen, and which would be completed in that period of
time. She mentioned six months, as that period would
be necessary for recruiting the constitution of the pak-
skiraj. As the lady professed to engage every day in
religious ceremonies, in consequence of her vow, a
separate house was assigned to her, where she took the
pdkshiraj and fed him with the choicest grain. But

aiS FOLK-TALES OF BENGAL, jfrvi.

everything would be fmitless if the lady did not meet
the hiraman« But how is she to get a sight of that
bird ? She adopted the following expedient. She
ordered her servants to scatter on the roof of her house
heaps of paddy, grain, and all sorts of pulse for the
refreshment of birds. The consequence was, that
thousands of the feathery race came to the roof to par-
take of the abundant feast. The lady was every day on
the look out for her hiraman. The hiraman, meanwhile,
was in great distress in the forest. He had to take care
not only of himself, but of the now blinded king. He
plucked some ripe fruits in the forest, and gave them
to the king to eat, and he ate of them himself. This
was the manner of hiraman's life. The other birds of
the forest spoke thus to the parrot — " O hiraman, you
have a miserable life of it in this forest. Why don't
you come with us to an abundant feast provided for us
by a pious lady, who scatters many maunds of pulse on
the roof of her house for the benefit of our race ? We
go there early in the morning and return in the
evening, eating our fill along with thousands of other
birds." The hiraman resolved to accompany them next
morning, shrewdly suspecting more in the lady's
charity to birds than the other birds thought there was
in it. The hiraman saw the lady, and had a long chat
with her about the health of the blinded king, the
means of curing his blindness, and about her escape.
The plan adopted was as follows : The pony would be

XVI.] THE STORY OF A HIRAMAN* 219

ready for aSrial flight in a short time — for a great part
of the six months had already elapsed ; and the king's
blindness could be cured if the hiraman could procure
from the chicks of the bihangama and bihangami birds,
who had their nest on the tree at the gate of the lady's
palace beyond the seven oceans and thirteen rivers, a
quantity of their ordure, fresh and hot, and apply it to
the eyeballs of the blinded king. The following
morning the hiraman started on his errand of mercy,
remained at night on the tree at the gate of the palace
beyond the seven oceans and thirteen rivers, and early
the next morning waited below the nest of the birds
with a leaf on his beak, into which dropped the ordure
of the chicks. That moment the hiraman flew across the
oceans and rivers, came to the forest, and applied the
precious balm to the sightless sockets of the king. The
king opened his eyes and saw. In a few days the pah-^
skiraj was in proper trim. The lady escaped to the
forest and took the king up ; and the lady, king, and
hiraman all reached the king's capital safe and sound.
The king and the lady were united together in wedlock.
They lived many years together happily, and begat sons
and daughters ; and the beautiful hiraman was always
with them reciting the names of the three hundred and
thirty millions of gods.

Here my story endeth,

The Natiya-thora withereth, &o.

XTIL

THE ORIGD^ OF BUBIES.

Thkrb was a certain king wlio died leaTing fioor sods
behind him with his queen. The queen was passion-
ately fond of the youngest of the princes. She gave
him the best robes, the best horses, the best food, and
the best furniture. The other three princes became
exceedingly jealous of their youngest brother, and con-
sjHring against him and their mother, made them live
in a separate house, and took possession of the estate.
Owing to OTer-indulgenoe, the youngest prince had
become very wilfuL He never listened to any one, not
even to his mother, but had his own way in everything.
One day he went with his mother to bathe in the river.
A large boat was riding there at anchor. None of the
boatmen were in it The prince went into the boat,
and told his mother to come into it. His mother be-
sought him to get down from the boat, as it did not
belong to him. But the prince said, " No, mother, I
am not coming down ; I mean to go on a voyage, and

xvnj THE ORIGIN OF RUBIES: 221

if you wish to come with me, then delay not but come
up at once, or I shall be ofif in a trice." The queen
besought the prince to do no such thing, but to comp
down instantly. But the prince gave no heed to what
she said, and began to take up the anchor. The queen
went up into the boat in great haste ; and the moment
she was on board the boat started, and falling into the
current passed on swiftly like an arrow. The boat went
on and on till it reached the sea. After it had gone
many furlongs into the open sea, the boat came near a
whirlpool, where the prince saw a great many rubies of
monstrous size floating on the waters. Such large
rubies no one had ever seen, each being in value equal
to the wealth of seven kings. The prince caught hold
of half a dozen of those rubies, and put them on board.
His mother said, " Darling, don't take up those red
bails ; they must belong to somebody who has been
shipwrecked, and we may be taken up as thieves."
At the repeated entreaties of his mother the prince
threw them into the sea, keeping only one tied up in
his clothes. The boat then drifted towards the coast,
and the queen and the prince arrived at a certain port
where they landed.

The port where they landed was not a small place ;
it was a large city, the capital of a great king. Not
far from the palace, the queen and her son hired a hut
where they lived. As the prince was yet a boy, he was
fond of playing at marbles. When the 'iiildren of the

222 FOLK-TALES OF BENGAL. Ixvii.

king came out to play on a lawn before the palace, our
young pnnce joined them. He had no marbles, but he
played with the ruby which he had in his possession.
The ruby was so hard that it broke every taw against
which it struck* The daughter of the king, who used
to watch the games from a balcony of the palace, was
astonished to see a brilliant red ball in the hand of the
strange lad, and wanted to take possession of it. She
told her father that a boy of the street had an uncom-
monly bright stone in his possession which she must
have, or else she would starve herself to death. The
king ordered his servants to bring to him the lad with
the precious stone. When the boy was brought, the
king wondered at the largeness and brilliancy of the
ruby. He had never seen anything like it. He doubted
whether any king of any country in the world possessed
so great a treasure. He asked the lad where he had
got it. The lad repUed that .he got it from the sea.
The king offered a thousand rupees for the ruby, and
the lad not knowing its value readily parted with it for
that sum. He went with the money to his mother, who
was not a little frightened, thinking that her son had
stolen the money from some rich man's house. She
became quiet, however, on being assured that the mojiey
was given to him by the king in exchange for the red
ball which he had picked up in the sea

The king's daughter, on getting the ruby put it in
her hair, and, standing before her pet parrot, said to the

zvii.] THE ORIGIN OF RUBIES* 228

bird, ** Oh, my darling parrot, don't I look very beautiful
with this ruby* in my hair?" The parrot replied,
" Beautiful I you look quite hideous with it ! What
princess ever puts only one ruby in her hair ? It would
be somewhat feasible if you had two at least." Stung
with shame at the reproach cast in her teeth by the
parrot, the princess went into the grief-chamber of the
palace, and would neither eat nor drink. The king
was not a little concerned when he heard that his
daughter had gone into the grief-chamber. He went to
her, and asked her the cause of her grief. The princess
told the king what her pet parrot had said, and added,
" Father, if you do not procure for me another ruby
like this, I'll put an end to my life by mine own hands."
The king was overwhelmed with grief. Where was he
to get another ruby like it ? He doubted whether
another like it could be found in the whole world. He
ordered the lad who had sold the ruby to be brought
into his presence. " Have you, young man," asked the
king, ** another ruby like the one you sold me ? " The
lad replied, " No, I have not got one. Why, do you
want another? I can give you lots, if you wish to
have them. They are to be found in a whirlpool in
the sea, far, far away, I can go and fetch some for
you." Amazed at the lad's reply, the king ofifered
rich rewards for procuring only another ruby of the
same sort.
The lad went home and said to his mother that ho

224 FOLE-TALES OF BENOAL. [xvn.

must go to sea again to fetch some rubies for the king.
The woman was quite frightened at the idea, and
begged him not to go. But the lad was resolved on
going, and nothing could prevent him from carrying
out his purpose. He accordingly went alone on board
that same vessel which had brought him and his
mother, and set sail. He reached the whirlpool, fropi
near which he had formerly picked up the rubies. This
time, however, he determined to go to the exact spot
whence the rubies were comiug out. He went to the
centre of the whirlpool, where he saw a gap reaching to
the bottom of the ocean. He dived into it, leaving his
boat to wheel round the whirlpool. When he reached
the bottom of the ocean he saw there a beautiful
palace. He went inside. In the central room of the
palace there was the god Siva, with his eyes closed,
and absorbed apparently in intense meditation. A few
feet above Siva's head was a platform, on which lay a
young lady of exquisite beauty. The prince went to
the platform and saw that the head of the lady was
separated from her body. Horrified at the sight, he did
not know what to make of it. He saw a stream of
blood trickling from the severed head, falling upon the
matted head of Siva, and running into the ocean in the
form of rubies. After a lifctle two small rods, one of
silver and one of gold, which were lying near the head
of the lady, attracted his eyes. As he took up th^
rods in his hands, the golden rod accidentally fell upon

xvn.] THE OKIGIN OF RUBIES. 226

the head, on which the head immediately joined itself
to the body, and the lady got up. Astonished at the
sight of a human being, the lady asked the prince who
he was and how he had got there. After hearing the
story of the prince's adventures, the lady said, " Un-
happy young man, depart instantly from this place;
for when Siva finishes his meditations he will turn you
to ashes by a single glance of his eyes." The young
man, however, would not go except in her company, as
he was over head and ears in love with the beautiful
lady. At last they both contrived to run away from
the palace, and coming up to the surface of the ocean
they climbed into the boat near the centre of the
whirlpool, and sailed away towards land, having pre-
viously laden the vessel with a cargo of rubies. The
wonder of the prince's mother at seeing the beautiful
damsel may be well imagined. Early next morning
the prince sent a basin full of big rubies, through a
servant. The king was astonished beyond measure.
His daughter, on getting the rubies, resolved on marry-
ing the wonderful lad who had made a present of them
to her. Though the prince had a wife, whom he had
brought up from the depths of the ocean, he consented
to have a second wife. They were accordingly married,
and lived happily for years, begetting sons and
daughters.

Here my story endeth,

The Natiya-thom withereth, &c.

XYIIL

THE MATCH-MAKIXG JACKXU

OxCK on a time there Kved a weaver, whose
ancestors were very rich, but whose father had wasted
the property which he had inherited in riotous Kving.
He was bom in a palace-like house, but he now lived
in a miseraUe hat. He had no one in the worid, his
parents and all his relatives having died. Hard by the
hut was the lair of a jaekaL The jackaL remembering
the wealth and grandeur of the weaver s forefathers,
had compassion on him, and one day coming to him,
said, " Friend weaver, I see what a wretched life you
are leading. I have a good mind to impioTe your
o>ndition. I'U try and marry you to the daughter of
the king of this country.* " I become the king's
scm-in-Iaw I ** replied the weaver ; " that wiU take place
only when the sun rises in the west.* * You doubt my

)ower? * rejoined the jackal ; "you will see. 111 bring it

bout"
The next moming the jackal started fur the king*s

xvm.] THE MATCH-MAKING JACKAL. 227

city, which was many miles off. On the way he entered
a plantation of the Piper betel plant, and plucked a
large quantity of its leaves. He reached the capital,
and contrived to get inside the palace. On the premises
of the palace was a tank in which the ladies of the
king's household performed their morning and afternoon
ablutions. At the entrance of that tank the jackal
laid himself down. The daughter of the king hap-
pened to come just at the time to bathe, accompanied
by her maids. The princess was not a little struck at
seeing the jackal lying down at the entrance. She told
her maids to drive the jackal away. The jackal rose as
if from sleep, and instead of running away, opened his
bundle of betel-leaves, put some into his mouth, and
began chewing them. The princess and her maids
were not a little astonished at the sight. They said
among themselves, " What an uncommon jackal is this !
From what country can he have come? A jackal
chewing betel-leaves ! why thousands of men and
women of this city cannot indulge in that luxury. He
must have come from a wealthy land." The princess
asked the jackal, " Sivalu ! ^ from what country do you
come ? It must be a very prosperous country where
the jackals chew betel - leaves. Do other animals
in your country chew betel-leaves ? '* " Dearest
princess," replied the jackal, "I come from a land
flowing with milk and honey. Betel-leaves are as
^ A name for a jackal, not unlike Beynard in Europe.

Q 2

228 FOLK-TALES OF BE^TGAI.. [xvm.

plentifdl in my country as the grass in your fields. All
animals in my country — cows, sheep, dogs — chew betel-
leaves. We want no good thing." ** Happy is the
country," said the princess, "where there is such
plenty, and thrice happy the king who rules in it!"
" As for our king," said the jackal, " he is the richest
king in the worid. His palace is like the heaven of
Indra. I have seen your palace here ; it is a miserable
hut compared to the palace of our king." The princess,
whose curiosity was excited to the utmost pitch, hastily
went through her bath, and going to the apartments of
the queen-mother, told her of the wonderful jackal
• lying at the entrance of the tank. Her curiosity being
excited, the jackal was sent for. When the jackal
stood in the presence of the queen, he began munching
the betel-leaves. " You come," said the queen, " from
a very rich country. Is your king married ? " " Please
your majesty, our king is not married. Princesses
from distant parts of the world tried to get married to
him, but he rejected them all. Happy will that
princess be whom our king condescends to marry ! **
" Don't you think, Sivalu,*' asked the queen, " that my
daughter is as beautiful as a Peri, and that she is fit
to be tlie wife of the proudest king in the world?"
" I quite think," said the jackal, " that the princess is
exceedingly handsome ; indeed, she is the handsomest
princess I have ever seen ; but I don't know whether
our king will have a liking for her." *' Liking for my

xYiii.] THE MATCH-MAKING JACKAL. 229

daughter ! '* said the queen, " you have only to paint
her to him as she is, and he is sure to turn mad with
love. To be serious, Sivalu, I am anxiou3 to get my
daughter married. Many princes have sought her
hand, but I am unwilling to give her to any of them,
as they are not the sons of great kings. But your king
seems to be a great king. I can have no objection to
making him my son-in-law.*' The queen sent word to
the king, requesting him to come and see the jackal.
The king came and saw the jackal, heard him describe
the wealth and pomp of the king of his country, and
expressed himself not unwilling to give away his
daughter in marriage to him.

The jackal after this returned to the weaver and
said to him, ** O lord of the loom, you are the luckiest
man in the world ; it is all settled ; you are to become
the son-in-law of a great king. I have told them that
you are yourself a great king, and you must behave
yourself as one. You must do just as I instruct you.
otherwise your fortune will not only not be made, but
both you and I will be put to death." " I'll do just as
you bid me," said the weaver. The shrewd jackal drew
in his own mind a plan of the method of procedure he
should adopt, and after a few days went back to the
palace of the king in the same manner in which he had
gone before, that is to say, chewing betel-leaves and
lying down at the entrance of the tank on the premises
of the palace. The king and queen were glad to see

23t FOLK-TALES OF BENGAL. [xmi.

him, and eacerij asked him as to the success of his
mission. The jackal said, " In eider to lelieTe your
minds I may tell you at once that my mission has been
so far succe^uL K you only knew the infinite trouble
I have had in persuading his Majesty, my sovereign,
to make up his mind to many your daughter, you
would give me no end of thanks. ¥or a long time he
would not hear of it, but gradually I brought him
round. You have now only to fix an auspicious day
for the celebration of the solemn rite. There is one
bit of advice, however, which I, as your friend, would
give you. It is this. My master is so great a king
that if he were to come to you in state, attended by all
his followers, his horses and his elephants, you would
find it impossible to accommodate them all in your
palace or in your city. I would therefore propose that
our king should come to your city, not in state, but
in a private manner ; and that you send to the out-
skirts of your city your own elephants, horses, and
conveyances, to bring him and only a few of his fol-
lowers to your palace." " Many thanks, wise Sivalu,
for this advice. I could not possibly make accommoda-
tion in my city for the followers of so great a king
as your master is. I should be very glad if he did not
come in state ; and trust you will use your influence
to persuade him to come in a private manner ; for I
should be ruined if he came in state." The jackal
then gravely said, " I will do my best in the matter,"

XVIII.] TUE MATCH-MAKING JACKAL. 231

and then returned to his own village, after the royal
astrologer had fixed an auspicious day for the wedding.

On his return the jackal husied himself with mak-
ing preparations for the great ceremony. As the
weaver was clad in tatters, he told him to go to the
washermen of the village and borrow from them a
suit of clothes. As for himself, he went to the king
of his race, and told him that on a certain day he
would like one thousand jackals to accompany him
to a certain place. He went to the king of crows, and
begged that his corvine majesty would be pleased to
allow one thousand of his black subjects to accom-
pany him on a certain day to a certain place. He
prefeiTed a similar petition to the king of paddy-birds.

At last the great day anived. The weaver arrayed
himself in the clothes which he had borrowed from
the village washermen. The jackal made his appear-
ance, accompanied by a train of a thousand jackals, a
thousand crows, and a thousand paddy-birds. The
nuptial procession started on their journey, and towards
sundown arrived within two miles of the king's palace.
There the jackal told his friends, the thousand jackals,
to set up a loud howl ; at his bidding the thousand
crows cawed their loudest; while the hoarse screech-
ings of the thousand paddy-birds furnished a suitable
accompaniment. The efifect may be imagined. They
all together made a noise the Uke of which had
never been heard since the world began. While this

232 FOLK-TALES OF BENGAL. [xvm.

unearthly noise was going on, the jackal himself hastened
to the palace, and asked the king whether he thought
he would be able to acconunodate the wedding-party,
which was about two miles distant, and whose noise
was at that moment sounding in his ears. The king
said " Impossible, Sivalu ; from the sound of the pro-
cession I infer there must be at least one hundred
thousand souls. How is it possible to accommodate so
many guests ? Please, so arrange that the bridegroom
only will come to my house." ** Very well," said the
jackal ; " I told you at the beginning that you would not
be able to accommodate all the attendants of my august
master. 1*11 do as you wish. My master will alone
come in undress. Send a horse for the purpose." The
jackal, accompanied by a horse and groom, came to the
place where his friend the weaver was, thanked the
thousand jackals, the thousand crows and the thousand
paddy-birds, for their valuable services, and told them
all to go away, while he himself, and the weaver on
horseback, wended their way to the king's palace.
The bridal party, waiting in the palace, were greatly
disappointed at the personal appearance of the weaver;
but the jackal told them that his master had purposely
put on a mean dress, as his would-be father-in-law
declared himself unable to accommodate the bride-
groom and his attendants coming in state. The royal
priests now began the interesting ceremony, and the
nuptial knot was tied for ever. The bridegroom seldom

XTin.] THE MATCH-MAKING JACKAL. 238

opened his lips, agreeably to the instructions of the
jackal, who was afraid lest his speech should bewray
inm. At night when he was lying in bed he began to
count the beams and rafters of the room, and said
audibly, "This beam will make a first-rate loom, that
other a capital beam, and that yonder an excellent
sley/' The princess, his bride, was not a little aston-
ished. She began to think in her mind, " Is the man,
to whom they have tied me, a king or a weaver ? I am
afraid he is the latter; otherwise why should he be
talking of weaver's loom, beam, and sley ? Ah, me !
is this what the fates kept in store for me ? " In the
morning the princess related to the queen-mother the
weaver's soliloquy. The king and queen, not a little
surprised at this recital, took the jackal to task about
it. The ready-witted jackal at once said, "Your
Majesty need not be surprised at my august master's
soliloquy. His palace is surrounded by a population
of seven hundred families of the best weavers in the
world, to whom he has given rent-free lands, and whose
welfare he continually seeks. It must have been in
one of his philanthropic moods that he uttered the
soliloquy which has taken your Majesty by surprise.'*
The jackal, however, now felt that it was high time
for himself and the weaver to decamp with the princess,
since the proverbial simplicity of his friend of the loom
might any moment involve him in danger. The jackal
therefore represented to the king, that weighty affairs

234 FOLK-TALES OF BENGAL. [xvin.

of state would not permit his august master to spend
another day in the palace ; that he should start for his
kingdom that very day with his bride ; and his master
was resolved to travel incognito on foot, only the
princess, now the queen, should leave the city in a
palld. After a great deal of yea and nay, the king
and queen at last consented to the proposal. The party
came to the outskirts of the weaver's village ; the palM
beaiers were sent away ; and the princess, who asked
where her husband's palace was, was made to walk on
foot. The weavers hut was soon reached, and the
jackal, addressing the princess, said, " This, madam, is
your husband's palace." The princess began to beat
her forehead with the palms of her hands in sheer
despair. " Ah, me I is this the husband whom Pra-
japati ^ intended for me ? Death would have been a
thousand times better."

As there was nothing for it, the princess soon got
reconciled to her fate. She, however, determined to
make her husband rich, especially as she knew the
secret of becoming rich. One day she told her husband
to get for her a pice-worth of flour. She put a little
water in the flour, and smeared her body with the
paste. When the paste dried on her body, she began
wiping the paste with her fingers ; and as the paste
fell in small balls from her body, it got turned into
orold. She repeated this process every day for some
*■ The god who presides over marriagesi

XVIII.] THE MATCH-MAKING JACKAL. 235

time, and thus got an immense quantity of gold. She
soon became mistress of more gold than is to be found
in the coffers of any king. With this gold she em-
ployed a whole army of masons, carpenters and
architects, who in no time built one of the finest
palaces in the world. Seven hundred families of
weavers were sought for and settled round about the
palace. After this she wrote a letter to her father to
say that she was sorry he had not favoured her with a
visit since the day of her marriage, and that she would
be delighted if he now came to see her and her husband.
The king agreed to come, and a day was fixed. The
princess made great preparations against the day of
her father's arrival. Hospitals were established in
several parts of the town for diseased, sick, and infirm
animals. The beasts in thousands were made to chew
betel-leaves on the wayside. The streets were covered
with Cashmere shawls for her father and his attendants
to walk on. There was no end of the display of wealth
and grandeur. The king and queen arrived in state,
and were infinitely delighted at the apparently bound-
less riches of their son-in-law. The jackal now
appeared on the scene, and saluting the king and
queen, said — " Did I not tell you ? "

Here my story endeth,

The Natiya-thorn withereth, &c.

XIX.

THE BOY WITH THE MOON ON HIS FOREHEAD.

There was a certain king who had six queens, none
of whom bore children. Physicians, holy sages, men-
dicants, were consulted, countless drugs were had
recourse to, but all to no purpose. The king was
disconsolate. His ministers told him to marry a
seventh wife; and he was accordingly on the look
out.

In the royal city there lived a poor old woman
who used to pick up cow-dung from the fields, make it
into cakes, dry them in the sun, and sell them in the
market for fuel. This was her only means of subsist-
ence. This old woman had a daughter exquisitely
beautiful. Her beauty excited the admiration of every
one that saw her ; and it was solely in consequence of
her surpassing beauty that three young ladies, far
above her in rank and station, contracted friendship
with her. Those three young ladies were the daughter
of the king's minister, the daughter of a wealthy

XIX.] THE BOY WITH THE MOON ON HIS FOREHEAD. 287

merchant, and the daughter of the royal priest. These
three young ladies, together with the daughter of the
poor old woman, were one day bathing in a tank not
far from the palace. As they were performing their
ablutions, each dwelt on her own good qualities.
" Look here, sister," said the minister's daughter, '
addressing the merchant's daughter, "the man that
marries me will be a happy man, for he will not have
to buy clothes for me. The cloth which I once put on
never gets soiled, never gets old, never tears." The
merchant's daughter said, "And my husband too will
be a happy man, for the fuel which I use in cooking
never gets turned into ashes. The same fuel serves
from day to day, from year to year." ''And my
husband will also become a happy man," said the
daughter of the royal chaplain, " for the rice which I
cook one day never gets finished, and when we have all
eaten, the same quantity which was first cooked remains
always in the pot." The daughter of the poor old
woman said in her turn, "And the man that marries
me will also be happy, for I shall give birth to twin
children, a son and a daughter. The daughter will be
divinely fair, and the son will have the moon on his
forehead and stars on the palms of his hands."

The above conversation was overheard by the king,
who, as he was on the look out for a seventh queen,
used to skulk about in places where women met
together. The king thus thought in his mind — "I

238 FOLK-TALES OF BENGAL. [xix.

don't care a straw for the girl whose clothes never tear
and never get old ; neither do I care for the other girl
whose fuel is never consumed; nor for the third girl
whose rice never fails in the pot. But the fourth girl
is quite charming ! She will give birth to twin children,
a son and a daughter; the daughter will be divinely
fair, and the son will have the moon on his forehead
and stars on the palms of his hands. That is the girl I
want. I'll make her my wife."

On making inqumes on the same day, the king
found that the fourth girl was the daughter of a poor
old woman who picked up cow-dug from the fields;
but though there was thus an infinite disparity in
rank, he determined to marry her. On the very same
day he sent for the poor old woman. She, poor thing,
was quite frightened when she saw a messenger of the
king standing at the door of her hut. She thought
that the king had sent for her to punish her, because,
perhaps, she had some day unwittingly picked up the
dung of the king's cattle. She went to the palace, and
was admitted into the king's private chamber. The
king asked her whether she had a very fair daughter,
and whether that daughter was the friend of his own
minister's and priest's daughters. When the woman
answered in the aflSrmative, he said to her, " I will
marry your daughter, and make her my queen." The
woman hardly believed her own ears — the thing was so
strange. He, however, solemnly declared to her tliat

XIX.] THE BOY WITH THE MOON ON HIS FOREHEAD. 239

be had made up his mind, and was determined to
marry her daughter. It was soon known in the capital
that the king was going to marry the daughter of the
old woman who picked up cow-dung in the fields.
When the six queens heard the news, they would not
believe it, till the king himself told them that the news
was true. They thought that the king had somehow
got mad. They reasoned with him thus — " What folly,
what madness, to marry a girl who is not fit to be our
maid-servant I And you expect us to treat her as
our equal — a girl whose mother goes about picking
up cow-dung in the fields I Surely, my lord, you are
beside yourself!" The king's purpose, however, re-
•nained unshaken. The royal astrologer was called,
and an auspicious day was fixed for the celebration of
the king's marriage. On the appointed day the royal
priest tied the marital knot, and the daughter of the
ooor old picker-up of cow-dung in the fields became
ohe seventh and best beloved queen.

Some time after the celebration of the marriage, the
king went for six months to another part of hi«
dominions. Before setting out he called to him the
seventh queen, and said to her, ** I am going away to

another part of my dominions for six months. Before
the expiration of that period I expect you to be
confined. But I should Kke to be present with you at
the time, as your enemies may do mischief. Take this
•jolden bell and hang it in your room. When the pains

240 FOLK-TALES OF BENGAL. [xix.

of childbirth come upon you, ring this bell, and I will
be with you in a moment in whatever part of my
dominions I may be at the time. Remember, you are
to ring the bell only when you feel the pains of child-
birth." After saying this the king started on his
journey. The six queens, who had overheard the king,
went on the next day to the apartments of the seventh
queen, and said, " What a nice bell of gold you have
got, sister I Where did you get it, and why have you
hung it up ? " The seventh queen, in her simplicity,
said, " The king has given it to me, and if I were to
ring it, the king would immediately come to me
wherever he might be at the time." " Impossible ! "
said the six queens, " you must have misunderstood the
king. Who can believe that this bell can be heard at
the distance of hundreds of miles ? Besides, if it could
be heard, how would the king be able to travel a great
distance in the twinkling of an eye ? This must be a
hoax. If you ring the bell, you will find that what the
king said was pure nonsense." The six queens then
told her to make a trial. At first she was unwilling,
remembering what the king had told her ; b^t at last
she was prevailed upon to ring the bell. The king was-
at the moment half-way to the capital of his other
dominions, but at the ringing of the bell he stopped
short in his journey, turned back, and in no time stood
in the queen's apartments. Finding the queen going
about in her rooms, he asked why she had rung the

XIX.] THE BOY WITH THE MOON ON HIS FOREHEAD. 241

bell though her hour had not come. She, without
informing the king of the entreaty of the six queens,
replied that she rang the bell only to see whether what
he had said was true. The king was somewhat indig-
nant, told her distinctly not to ring the bell again till
the moment of the coming upon her of the pains of
childbirth, and then went away. After the lapse of
some weeks the six queens again begged of the seventh
queen to make a second trial of the bell. They said to
her, " The first time when you rang the bell, the
king was only at a short distance from you, it was
therefore easy for him to hear the bell and to come to
you; but now he has long ago settled in his other
capital, let us see if he will now hear the bell and come
to you." She resisted for a long time, but was at last
prevailed upon by them to ring the bell. When the
sound of the bell reached the king he was in court
dispensing justice, but when he heard the sound of the
bell (and no one else heard it) he closed the court and
in no time stood in the queen's apartments. Finding
that the queen was not about to be confined, he asked
her why she had again rung the bell before her hour.
She, without saying anything of the importunities of
the six queens, replied that she merely made a second
trial of the bell. The king became very angry, and
said to her, " Now listen, since you have called me
twice for nothing, let it be known to you that when the
throes of childbirth do really come upon you, and you

242 FOLK-TALES OF BENGAL. [xix.

ring the bell ever so lustily, I will not come to you.
You must be left to your fate." The king then
went away.

At last the day of the seventh queen's deliverance
arrived. On first feeling the pains she rang the golden
belL She waited, but the king did not make his
appearance. She rang again with all her might, still
the kiDg did not make his appearance. The king
certainly did hear the sound of the bell ; but he did
not come as he was displeased with the queen. When
the six queens saw that the king did not come, they
went to the seventh queen and told her that it was not
customary with the ladies of the palace to be confined
in the king's apartments ; she must go to a hut near
the stables. They then sent for the midwife of the
palace, and heavily bribed her to make away with the
infant the moment it should be born into the world.
The seventh queen gave bii-th to a son who had the
moon on his forehead and stars on the palms of his
hands, and also to an uncommonly beautiful girl. The
midwife had come provided with a couple of newly
bom pups. She put the pups before the mother,
saying — " You have given birth to these," and took
away the twin-children in an earthen vessel. The
queen was quite insensible at the time, and did not
notice the twins at the time they were carried away.
The king, though he was angry with the seventh
queen, yet remembering that she was destined to give

XIX.] THE BOY WITH THE MOON ON HIS FOREHEAD. 243

birth to the heir of his throne, changed his mind, and
came to see her the next morning. The pups were
produced before the king, as the offspring of the queen.
The king's anger and vexation knew no bounds* He
ordered that the seventh queen should be expelled
from the palace, that she should be clothed in leather,
and that she should be employed in the market-place
to drive away crows and to keep off dogs. Though
scarcely able to move she was driven away from the
palace, stripped of her fine robes, clothed in leather,
and set to drive away the crows of the market-place.

The midwife, when she put the twins in the earthen
vessel> bethought herself of the best way to destroy
them. She did not think it proper to throw them into
a tank, lest they should be discovered the next day.
Neither did she think of burying them in the ground,
lest they should be dug up by a jackal and exposed to
the gaze of people. The best way to make an end of
them, she thought, would be to burn them, and reduce
them to ashes, that no trace might be left of them.
Bat how could she, at that dead hour of night, bum
them without some other person helping her? A
happy thought struck her. There was a potter on the
outskirts of the city, who used during the day to
mould vessels of clay on his wheel, and burn them
during the latter part of the night. The midwife
thought that the best plan would be to put the vessel
with the twins along with the unbumt clay vessels

R 2

244 FOLK-TALES OF BENGAL. [xix.

\rhich the potter had airanged in order and gone to
sleep expecting to get up late at night and set them
on fire ; in this way, she thought, the twins would be
reduced to ashes. She, accordingly, put the vessel
with the t^dns along with the unbumt day vessels
of the potter, and went away.

Somehow or other, that night the potter and his wife
overslept themselves. It was near the break of day
when the potter s wife, awaking out of sleep, roused
her husband, and said, " Oh, my good man, we have
overslept ourselves; it is now near morning and I
much fear it is now too late to set the pots on fire."
Hastily unbolting the door of her cottage, she rushed
out to the place where the pots were ranged in rows.
She could scarcelv believe her eves when she saw that
all the pots had been baked and were looking bright
red, though neither she nor her husband had applied
any fire to them. Wondering at her good luck, and
not knowing what to make of it, she ran to her husband
and said, " Just come and see ! " The potter came, saw,
and wondered. The pots had never before been so
well baked. Who could have done this ? This could
have proceeded only from some god or goddess.
Fumbling about the pots, he accidentally upturned one
in which, lo and behold, were seen huddled up together
two newly bom infants of unearthly beauty. The potter
said to his wife, " My dear, you must pretend to have
given birth to these beautiful children." Accordingly

XIX.] THE BOY WITH THE MOON ON HIS FOREHEAD. 246

all arrangements were made, and in due time it was
given out that the twins had been born to her. And
such lovely twins they -were ! On the same day many
women of the neighbourhood came to see the potter's
wife and the twins to which she had given birth, and
to offer their congratulations on this unexpected good
fortune. As for the potter's wife, she could not be too
proud of her pretended children, and said to her
admiring friends, " I had hardly hoped to have children
at all. But now that the gods have given me these
twins, may they receive the blessings of you all, and
live for ever ! "

The twins grew and were strengthened. The
brother and sister, when they played about in the fields
and lanes, were the admiration of every one who saw
them; and all wondered at the uncommonly good
luck of the potter in being blessed with such angelic
children. They were about twelve years old when the
potter, their reputed father, became dangerously ill.
It was evident to all that his sickness would end in
death. The potter, perceiving his last end approaching,
said to his wife, " My dear, I am going the way of all
the earth; but I am leaving to you enough to live
upon ; live on and take care of these children." The
woman said to her husband, " I am not going to sur-
vive you. Like all good and faithful wives, I am
determined to die along with you. You and I will
bum together on the same funeral pyre. As for the

246 FOLK-TALES OF BENGAL. (xix.

children, they are old enough to take care of them-
selves, and you are leaving them enough money." Her
friends tried to dissuade her from her purpose, but in
vain. The potter died ; and as his remains were being
burnt, his wife, now a widow, threw herself <m ihe
pyre, and burnt herself to death.

The boy with the moon on his forehead — ^by the way,
he always kept his head covered with a turban lest the
halo should attract notice — and his sister, now broke
up the potter's establishment, sold the wheel and the
pots and pans, and went to the bazaar in the king's
city. The moment they entered, the bazaar was lit up
on a sudden. The shopkeepers of the bazaar were
greatly surprised. They thought some divine beings
must have entered the place. They looked upon the
beautiful boy and his sister with wonder. They begged
of them to stay in the bazaar. They built a house for
them. When they used to ramble about, they w^re
always followed at a distance by the woman clothed in
leather, who was appointed by the king to drive away
the crows of the bazaar. By some unaccountable im-
pulse she used also to hang about the house in which
they lived. The boy in a short time bought a horse,
and went a-hunting in the neighbouring forests. One
day while he was hunting, the king was also hunting in
the same forest, and seeing a brother huntsman the
king drew near to him. The king was struck with the
beauty of the lad and a yearning for him the moment

XIX.] THE BOY WITH THE MOON ON HIS FOREHEAD. 247

he saw him. As a deer went past, the youth shot an
arrow, and the reaction of the force necessary to shoot
the arrow made the turban of his head fall off, on which
a bright lights like that of the moon, was seen shining on
his forehead. The king saw, and immediately thought
of the son with the moon on his forehead and stars on
the palms of his hands who was to have been bom of
his seventh queen. The youth on letting fly the arrow
galloped off, in spite of the earnest entreaty of the king
to wait and speak to him. The king went home a
sadder man than he came out of it. He became very
moody and melancholy. The six queens asked him
why he was looking so sad. He told them that he had
seen in the woods a lad with the moon on his forehead,
which reminded him of the son who was to be born of
the seventh queen. The six queens tried to comfort
him in the best way they could ; but they wondered
who the youth could be. Was it possible that the
twins were living ? Did not the midwife say that she
had burnt both the son and the daughter to ashes?
Who, then, could this lad be ? The midwife was sent
for by the six queens and questioned. She swore that
she had seen the twins burnt. As for the lad whom
the king had met with, she would soon find out who he
was. On making inquiries, the midwife soon found out
that two strangers were living in the bazaar in a house
which the shopkeepers had built for them. She
entered the house and saw the girl only, as the lad

248 FOLK-TALES OF BENGAL. [xix.

had again gone out a-shooting. She pretended to be
their aunt, who had gone away to another part of the
country shortly after their birth ; she had been search-
ing after them for a long time, and was now glad to find
them in the king's city near the palace. She greatly
admired the beauty of the girl, and said to her, " My
dear child, you are so beautiful, you require the kataki ^
flower properly to set off your beauty. You should tell
your brother to plant a row of that flower in this court-
yard." *' What flower is that, auntie ? I never saw it."
" How could you have seen it, my child ? It is not
found here ; it grows on the other side of the ocean,
guarded by seven hundred Rakshasas." " How, then,"
said the girl, " will my brother get it ? " " He may try
to get it, if you speak to him," replied the woman.
The woman made this proposal in the hope that the
boy with the moon on his forehead would perish in the
attempt to get the flower.

When the youth with the moon on his forehead re-
turned from hunting, his sister told him of the visit paid
to her by their aunt, and requested him, if possible, to
get for her the kataki flower. He was sceptical about the
existence of any aunt of theirs in the world, but he was
resolved that, to please his beloved sister, he would get
the flower on which she had set her heart. Next morn-
ing, accordingly, he started on his journey, after bidding
his sister not to stir out of the house till his return. He

^ Colotropis gigantea.

XIX.] THE BOY WITH THE MOON ON HIS FOREHEAD. 249

rode on his fleet steed, which was of the paJcshiraj^
tribe, and soon reached the outskirts of what seemed to
him dense forests of interminable length. He descried
some Bakshasas prowhng about. He went to some dis-
tance, shot with his arrows some deer and rhinoceroses
in the neighbouring thickets, and, approaching the place
where the Rakshasas were prowhng about, called out,
" O auntie dear, O auntie dear, your nephew is here."
A huge Hakshasi came towards him and said, " O, you
are the youth with the moon on your forehead and stars
on the palms of your hands. We were all expectipg
you, but as you have called me aunt, I will not eat you
up. "What is it you want ? Have you brought any
eatables for me ? " The youth gave her the deer and
rhinoceroses which he had killed. Her mouth watered
at the sight of the dead animals, and she began eating
them. After swallowing down all the carcases, she
said, *' Well, what do you want ? " The youth said,
" I want some Jcataki flowers for my sister." She then
told him that it would be difficult for him to get the
flower, as it was guarded by seven hundred Rakshasas ;
however, he might make the attempt, but in the first
instance he must go to his uncle on the north side of
that forest. While the youth was going to his uncle of
the north, on the way he killed some deer and rhinoce-
roses, and seeing a gigantic Rakshasa at some distance,
cried out, "Uncle dear, uncle dear, your nephew is

^ Aurtimfomicatum,

VOLK'TILKS OF VtSOAL. [zix.

here. Auntie has sent me to 700." The RaJrehua
caune near and said, ''Toaaie the youth with the moon
on your forehead and stais on the pafans of your hands ;
I would hare swallowed yon oatz^jfat, had yon not
called me ande, and had yon not said that your aunt
had sent yon to me. Now, what is it yon want?"
The saTonry deer and rhinoceroses were then presented
to him; he ate them all, and then listened to the
petition of the yoath. Hie yoath wanted the kutaJei
flower. The Rakshasa said, ""Ton want the kataki
flower ! Very well, try and get it if you can. After
passing through this foreei, yon will come to an
impenetauUe forest of kadi4ri} Ton will say to that
fijfrest, ' O mother kaehtri ! please make way for me, or
else I die/ On that the forest will open up a passage
for yoiL You will next come to the ocean. Ton will
say to the ocean, ' O mother ocean ! please make way
for me, or else I die,' and the ocean will make way £nr
you. After crossing the ocean, yon ent^ the gaidens
where the kalaki bloomsL Grood-bye ; do as I have told
you.'' The youth thanked his Bakshasi-uncle, and went
on bis way. After he had passed through the fiofest,
he saw before bim an impenetrable forest of kachiri.
It was so close and thick, and withal so bristling with
thorns, that not a mouse could go through it. Bemem-
bering the advice of bis uncle, be stood before the

1 Literally the hing of birds, a lalmloiis species of hone lemaikable
for their swiftnens.

XIX.] THE BOY WITH THE MOOW ON HIS FOREHEAD. 261

forest with folded hands, and said, " O mother kachiri !
please make way for me, or else I die," On a sudden a
clean path was opened up in the forest, and the youth
gladly passed through it. The ocean now lay before
him. He said to the ocean, *^ O mother ocean ! make
way for me, or else I die." Forthwith the waters of
the ocean stood up on two sides like two walls, leaving
an open passa^ between them, and the youth passed
through dryshod.

Now, right before him were the gardens of the
katdki flower. He entered the inclosure, and found
himself in a spacious palace which seemed to be un-
occupied. On going from apartment to apartment he
found a young lady of more than earthly beauty
sle^nng on a bedstead of gold. He went near, and
noticed two little sticks, one of gold and the other of
silver, lying in the bedstead. The silver stick lay near
the feet of the sleeping beauty, and the golden one
near the head. He took up the sticks in bis hands,
and as he was examining them, the golden stick acci-
dentally fell upon the feet of the lady. In a moment
the lady woke and sat up, and said to the youth,
''Stranger, how have you come to this dismal place ?
I know who you are, and I know your history. You
are the youth with the moon on your forehead and
stars on the palms of your hands. Flee, flee from this
place ! This is the residence of seven hundred
Rakshasas who guard the gardens of the katoM flower.

252 FOLK-TALES OF BEITGAL. [xix.

They have all gone a-hunting; they will retom by
stmdown ; and if they find you here you will be eaten
up. One Rakshasi broaght me from the earth where
my hiher is king. She loves me very dearly, and will
not let me go away. By means of these gold and
silver sticks she kills me when she goes away in the
morning, and by means of those sticks she revives me
when she returns in the evening. Flee, flee hence, or
you die ! " The youth told the young lady how his
sister wished very much to have the Tcataki flower, how
he passed through the forest of hiehiri, and how he
crossed the ocean. He said also that he was deter-
mined not to go alone, he must take the young lady
along with him. The remaining part of the day they
spent together in rambling about the gardens. As the
tinie was drawing near when the Rakshasas should
return, the youth buried himself amid an enormous
heap of IcataM flower which lay in an adjoining apart-
ment, after killing the young lady by touching her
head with the golden stick. Just after sunset the
youth heard the sound as of a mighty tempest : it was
the return of the seven hundred Rakshasas into the
gardens. One of them entered the apartment of the
young lady, revived her, and said, " I smell a human
being, I smell a human being." The young lady
replied, " How can a human being come to this place ?
I am the only human being here." The Rakshasi then
stretched herself on the floor, and told the young lady

XIX. ] THE BOY WITH THE MOON ON HIS FOREHEAD. 268

to shampoo her legs. As she was going on shampooing,
she let fall a tear-drop on the Rakshasi's leg. " Why
are you weeping, my dear child ? " asked the raw-eater ;
" why are you weeping ? Is anything troubling you ? "
** No, mamma," answered the young lady, " nothing is
troubling me. What can trouble me, when you have
made me so comfortable ? I was only thinking what
will become of me when you die." " When I die,
child?" said the Rakshasi; "shall I die? Yes, of
course all creatures die ; but the death of a Bakshasa
or Rakshasi will never happen. You know, child, that
deep tank in the middle part of these gardens. Well,
at the bottom of that tank there is a wooden box, in
which there are a male and a female bee. It is
ordained by fate that if a human being who has the
moon on his forehead and stars on the palms of his
hands were to come here and dive into that tank, and
get hold of the same wooden box, and crush to death
the male and female bees without letting a drop of
their blood fall to the ground, then we should die.
But the accomplishment of this decree of fate is, I
think, impossible. For, in the first place, there can be
no such human being who will have the moon on his
forehead and stars on the palms of his hands ; and, in
the second place, if there be such a man, he will find it
impossible to come to this place, guarded as it is by
seven hundred of us, encompassed by a deep ocean,
and barricaded by an impervious forest of AacAiri— not

POIX-TAlES or tSSCAJL [xix.

OB tLe cdsoT ade id xht: bnsL. ikad thes, even if
fae wcrecds in owning lieie, be viB peilkipK noc know
the secret of the vooden bos : ami ev^sn if he knows of
the weaei of the wooden box, fae ma j nj( snccecd in
killing' the bees wit&oat ienii^ jl drop of their bkwd
fall on the grocnd. And woe be to him if a diop does
bn on the gToond, ior in that case he will be torn up
into KTen hundred pieces hy nsL Yoa see then, child,
that we are almost immortal — not actnaliT, bat Tirtaally
so. Ton mar, therefcre, dismMS toot feaiSL*

On the ne3ct morning the Rakshasi got op^ killed the
▼oong ladr by means of the sticks* and went away in
search of food aloi^ with other Bakshasas and Bak-
shasisL The lad, who had the moon on his foxidiead
and stars on the palms <rf his hands came oat of the
heap of flowers and revived the yoang lady. The
yoang lady recited to the yoang man the whole of the
conversatioD Ae had had with the BakshasL It was a
perfect revelation to him. He, however, lost no time
in beginning to act He shat the heavy gates of the
gardensw He dived into the tank and bioaght ap the
wooden box. He opened the wooden box, and caught
hold of the male and female bees as they were about
to escape. He crushed them on the palms of his
hands, besmearing his body with every drop of their
Uood. The moment this was done, loud cries and
groans were heard around about the indosare of the

XIX.] THE BOY WITH THE MOON ON HIS FOREHEAD. 256

gardens. Agreeably to the decree of fate all the
Bakshasas appjroached the gardens and fell down dead.
The youth with the moon on his forehead took as many
kataki flowers as he could, together with their seeds,
and left the palace, around which were lying in moun-
tain heaps the carcases of the mighty dead, in company
with the young and beautiful lady. The waters of the
ocean retreated before the youth as before, and the
forest of kacMri also opened up a passage through it ;
and the happy couple reached the house in the bazaar,
where they were welcomed by the sister of the youth
who had the moon on his forehead.

On the following morning the youth, as usual, went
to hunt, The king was also there. A deer passed by,
and the youth shot an arrow. As he shot, the turban
as usual fell off his head, and a bright light issued
from it. The king saw and wondered. He told the
youth to stop, as he wished to contract friendship with
him. The youth told him to come to his house, and
gave him his address. The king went to the house of
the youth in the middle of the day. Pushpavati — for
that was the name of the young lady that had been
brought from beyond the ocean — told the king — for she
knew the whole history — how his seventh queen had
been persuaded by the other six queens to ring the bell
twice before her time, how she was delivered of a
beautiful boy and girl, how pups were substituted in
their room, how the twins were saved in a mu-aculous

256 FOLK-TALES OF BENGAL. [xix.

manner in the house of the potter, how they were well
treated in the bazaar, and how the youth with the
moon on his forehead rescued her from the clutches of
the Rakshasas. The king, mightily incensed with the
six queens, had them, on the following day, buried alive
in the ground. The seventh queen was then brought
from the market-place and reinstated in her position ;
and the youth with the moon on his forehead, and the
lovely Pushpavati and their sister, lived happily
together.

Here my story endeth,

The Natiya-thom withereth, &c

XX.

THE GHOST WHO WAS AFRAID OF BEING BAGGED.

Once on a time there lived a barber who had a wife.
They did not live happily together, as the wife always
complained that she had not enough to eat. Many
were the curtain lectures which were inflicted upon the
poor barber. The wife used often to say to her mate,
" If you had not the means to support a wife, why did
you marry me ? People who have not means ought
not to indulge in the luxury of a wife. When I was in
my father's house I had plenty to eat, but it seems that
I have come to your house to fast. Widows only fast ;
I have become a widow in your life-time." She was
not content with mere words ; she got very angry one
day and struck her husband with the broomstick of the
bouse. Stung with shame, and abhorring himself on
account of his wife's reproach and beating, he left his
house, with the implements of his craft, and vowed
never to return and see his wife's face again till he had
become rich. He went from village to village, and
towards nightfall came to the outskirts of a forest. He

258 FOLK-TALES OF BENGAL. [rx.

laid himself down at the foot of a tree, and spent many
a sad hour in bemoaning his hard lot.

It so chanced that the tree, at the foot of which the
barber was lying down, was dwelt in by a ghost. The
ghost seeing a human being at the foot of the tree
naturally thought of destroying him. With this inten-
tion the ghost alighted from the tree, and, with out-
spread arms and a gaping mouth, stood like a tall
palmyra tree before the barber, and said — " Now,
barber, I am going to destroy you. Who will protect
you ? " The barber, though quaking in every limb
through fear, and his hair standing erect, did not lose
his presence of mind, but, with that promptitude and
shrewdness which are characteristic of his fraternity,
replied, " O spirit, you will destroy me ! wait a bit and
I'll show you how many ghosts I have captured this
very night and put into my bag ; and right glad am I
to find you here, as I shall have one more ghost in my
bag." So saying the barber produced from his bag a
small looking-glass, which he always carried about with
him along with his razors, his whet-stone, his strop and
other utensils, to enable his customers to see whether
their beards had been well shaved or not. He stood
up, placed the looking-glass right against the face of
the ghost, and said, " Here you see one ghost which
I have seized and bagged ; I am going to put you also
in the bag to keep this ghost company." The ghost,
seeing his own face in the looking-glass, was convinced

XX.] THE GHOST WHO WAS AFRAID OF BEING BAGGED. 259

of the truth of what the barber had said, and was filled
with fear. He said to the barber, " O, sir barber, I'll do
whatever you bid me, only do not put me into your
bag. I'll give you whatever you want." The barber
said, " You ghosts are a faithless set, there is no trusting
you. You will promise, and not give what you pro-
mise." " O, sir," replied the ghost, " be merciful to me ;
I'll bring to you whatever you order ; and if I do not
bring it, then put me into your bag." " Very well," said
the barber, "bring me just now one thousand gold
mohurs; and by to-morrow night you must raise a
granary in my house, and fill it with paddy. Go and
get the gold mohurs immediately : and if you fail to do
my bidding you will certainly be put into my bag."
The ghost gladly consented to the conditions. He went
away, and in the course of a short time returned with a
bag containing a thousand gold mohurs. The barber
was delighted beyond measure at the sight of the gold
mohurs. He then told the ghost to see to it that by
the following night a granaiy was erected in his house
and filled with paddy.

It was during the small hours of the morning that
the barber, loaded with the heavy treasure, knocked at
the door of his house. His wife, who reproached herself
for having in a fit of rage struck her husband with a
broomstick, got out of bed and unbolted the door. Her
surprise was great when she saw her husband pour out
of the bag a glittering heap of gold mohurs.

260 FOLK-TALES OF BENGAL. [xx.

The next niglit the poor devil, through fear of being
bagged, raised a large granary in the barber's house,
and spent the live-long Dight in carrying on his back
large packages of paddy till the granary was filled up to
the brim. The uncle of this terrified ghost, seeing his
worthy nephew carrying on his back loads of paddy,
asked what the matter was. The ghost related what
had happened. The uncle-ghost then said, " You fool,
you think the barber can bag you ! The barber is a
cunning fellow ; he has cheated you, like a simpleton
as you are. " You doubt," said the nephew-ghost, " the
power of the barber ! come and see." The uncle-ghost
then went to the barber's house, and peeped into it
through a window. The barber, perceiving jfrom the
blast of wind which the arrival of the ghost had produced
that a ghost was at the window, placed full before it the
self-same looking-glass, saying, " Come now, I'll put
you also into the bag." The uncle-ghost, seeing his
o^vn face in the looking-glass, got quite frightened, and
promised that very night to raise another granary and
to fill it, not this time with paddy, but with rice. So
in two nights the barber became a rich man, and lived
happily with his wife, begetting sons and daughters.

Here my story endeth.

The Natiya-thom withereth, &c.

XXI.

THE FIELD OF BONES.

Once on a time there lived a king who had a son.
The young prince had three friends, the son of the
prime minister, the son of the prefect of the police, and
the son of the richest merchant of the city. These four
friends had great love for one another. Once on a time
they bethought themselves of seeing distant lands.
They accordingly set out one day, each one riding on a
horse. They rode on and on, till about noon they came
to the outskirts of what seemed to be a dense forest.
There they rested a while, tying to the trees their
horses, which began to browse. When they had
refreshed themselves, they again mounted their horses
and resumed their journey. At sunset they saw in the
depths of the forest a temple, near which they dis-
mounted, wishing to lodge there that night. Inside the
temple there was a sannyasi} appai-ently absorbed in
meditation, as he did not notice the four friends. When

^ Religious devotee.

2C2 FOLK-TALES OF BENGAL. [xxL

darkness covered the forest, a light was seen inside the
temple. The four friends resolved to pass the night on
the balcony of the temple; and as the forest was
infested with many wild beasts, they deemed it safe
that each of them should watch one prahara * of the
night, while the rest should sleep. It fell to the lot of
the merchant's son to watch during the first prahara,
that is to say, from six in the evening to nine o'clock at
night. Towards the end of his watch the merchant's
son saw a wonderful sight. The hermit took up a bone
with his hand, and repeated over it some words which
the merchant's son distinctly heard. The moment the
words were uttered, a clattering sound was heard in the
precincts of the temple, and the merchant's son saw
many bones moving from different parts of the forest.
The bones collected themselves inside the temple, at
the foot of the hermit, and lay there in a heap. As
soon as this took place, the watch of the merchant's son
came to an end ; and, rousing the son of the prefect of
the police, he laid himself down to sleep.

The prefect's son, when he began his watch, saw the
hermit sitting cross-legged, wrapped in meditation, near
a heap of bones, the history of which he, of course, did
not know. For a loDg time nothing happened. The
dead stillness of the night was broken only by the howl
of the hyaena and the wolf, and the growl of the tiger.
When his time was nearly up he saw a wonderful sight

' Eighth part of twenty* four hotm, that is, three houTs.

XXI.] THE FIELD OP BONES. 263

The hermit looked at the heap of bones lying before
him, and uttered some words which the prefect's son
distinctly heard. No sooner had the words been uttered
than a noise was heard among the bones, "and behold
a shaking, and the bones came together, bone to its
bone;" and the bones which were erewhile lying
together in a heap now took the form of a skeleton.
Struck with wonder, the prefect's son would have
watched longer, but his time was over. He therefore
laid himself down to sleep, after rousing the minister's
son, to whom, however, he told nothing of what he had
seen, as the merchant's son had not told him anything
of what he had seen.

The minister's son got up, rubbed his eyes, and
began watching. It was the dead hour of midnight,
when ghosts, hobgoblins, and spirits of every name and
description, go roaming over the wide world, and when
all creation, both animate and inanimate, is in deep
repose. Even the howl of the wolf and the hysena and
the growl of the tiger had ceased. The minister's son
looked towards the temple, and saw the hermit sitting
wrapt up in meditation ; and near him lying something
which seemed to be the skeleton of some animal. He
looked towards the dense forest and the darkness all
around, and his hair stood on end through terror. In
this state of fear and trembling he spent nearly three
hours, when an uncommon sight in the temple attracted
his notice. The hermit, looking at the skeleton before

264 FOLK-TALES OF BENGAL. [xxi.

him, uttered some words which the minister's son
distinctly heard. As soon as the words were nttered,
** lo, the sinews and the flesh came up npon the bones,
and the skin covered them above ; " bat there was no
breath in the skeleton. Astonished at the sight, the
minister's son wonld have sat up longer, but his time
was up. He therefore laid himself down to sleep, after
having roused the king^s son, to whom, however, he said
nothing of what he had seen and heard.

The king's son, when he began his watch, saw the
hermit sitting, completely absorbed in devotion, near a
figure which looked like some animal, but he was not a
little surprised to see the animal lying apparently
lifeless, without showing any of the symptoms of life.
The prince spent his hours agreeably enough, especially
as he had had a long sleep, and as he felt none of that
depression which the dead hour of midnight sheds on
the spirits ; and he amused himself with marking how
the shades of darkness were becoming thinner and
paler every moment. But just as he noticed a red
streak in the east, he heard a sound from inside the
temple. He turned his eyes towards the hermit. The
hermit, looking towards the inanimate figure of the
animal lying before him, uttered some words which the
prince distinctly heard. The moment the words were
spoken, "breath came into the animal; it lived, it
stood up upon its feet ; " and quickly rushed out of the
temple into the forest. That moment the crows cawed :

XXI.] THE FIELD OF BONES. 265

the watch of the prince came to an end; his three
companions were roused ; and after a short time they
mounted their horses, and resumed their journey, each
one thinking of the strange sight seen in the temple.

They rode on and on through the dense and inter-
minable forest, and hardly spoke to one another, till
about mid-day they halted under a tree near a pool for
refreshment. After they had refreshed themselves-
with eating some fruits of the forest and drinking
water from the pool, the prince said to his three
companions, " Friends, did you not see something in the
temple of the devotee ? I'll tell you what I saw, but
first let me hear what you all saw. Let the merchant's
son first tell us what he saw as he had the first watch ;
and the others will follow in order."

Merchant's son. — 1*11 tell you what I saw. I saw the
hermit take up a bone in his hand, and repeat some
words which I well remember. The moment those
words were uttered, a clattering sound was heard in the
precincts of the temple, and I saw many bones running
into the temple from diflferent directions. The bones
collected themselves together inside the temple at the
feet of the hermit, and lay there in a heap. I would
have gladly remained longer to see the end, but my
time was up, and I had to rouse my friend, the son of
the prefect of the police.

Prefect's son, — Friends, this is what I saw. The
hermit looked at the heap of bones lying before him,

266 FOLK-TALES OF BENGAL. [xs.

and uttered some words which I well remember. No
sooner had the words been uttered than I heard a
noise among the bones, and, strange to say, the bones
jumped up, each bone joined itself to its fellow, and
the heap became a perfect skeleton. At that moment
my watch came to an end, and I had to rouse my
respected friend the minister's son.

Minister's son. — Well, when I began my watch I saw
the said skeleton lying near the hermit. After three
mortal hours, during which I was in great fear, I saw
the hermit lift his eyes towards the skeleton and utter
some words which I well remember. As soon as the
words were uttered the skeleton was covered with flesh
and hair, but it did not show any symptom of life, as it
lay motionless. Just then my watch ended, and I had
to rouse my royal friend the prince.

Kin^s son, — Friends, from what you yourselves saw,
you can guess what I saw. I saw the hermit turn
towards the skeleton covered with skin and hair, and
repeat some words which I well remember. The
moment the words were uttered, the skeleton stood
up on its feet, and it looked a fine and lusty deer, and
while I was admiring its beauty, it skipped out of the
temple, and ran into the forest. That moment the
crows cawed.

The four friends, after hearing one another's story,
congratulated themselves on the possession of super-
natural power, and they did not doubt but that if they

XXI.] THE FIELD OF BONES. 267

pronounced the words which they had heard the hermit
utter, the utterance would be followed by the same
results. But they resolved to verify their power by an
actual experiment. Near the foot of the tree they
found a bone lying on the ground, and they accordingly
resolved to experiment upon it. The merchant's son
took up the bone, and repeated over it the formula he
had heard from the hermit Wonderful to relate, a
hundred bones immediately came rushing from different
directions, and lay in a heap at the foot of the tree.
The son of the prefect of the police then looking upon
the heap of bones, repeated the formula which he had
heard from the hermit, and forthwith there was a
shaking among the bones; the several bones joined
themselves together, and formed themselves into a
skeleton, and it was the skeleton of a quadruped. The
minister's son then drew near the skeleton, and, looking
intently upon it, pronounced over it the formula which
he had heard from the hermit. The skeleton imme-
diately was covered with flesh, skin, and hair, and,
horrible to relate, the animal proved itself to be a
royal tiger of the largest size. The four friends were
filled with consternation. If the king's son were, by
the repetition of the formula he had heard from the
hermit, to make the beast alive, it might prove fatal to
them alL The three friends, therefore, tried to dissuade
the prince from giving life to the tiger. But the prince
would not comply with the request. He naturally said.

268 FOLKTALES OF BENGAL. [xxi.

"The mantrds^ which you have learned have been
proved true and efficacious. But how shall I know
that the mantra which I have learned is equally
efficacious ? I must have my mantra verified. Nor is
it certain that we shall lose our lives by the experi-
ment. Here is this high tree. You can climb into its
topmost branches, and I shall also follow you thither
after pronouncing the mantrar In vain did the three
firiends dwell upon the extreme danger attending the
experiment : the prince remained inexorable. The
minister's son, the prefect's son, and the merchant's
son, climbed up into the topmost branches of the tree,
while the king's son went up to the middle of the tree.
From there, looking intently upon the lifeless tiger, he
pronounced the words which he had learned from the
hermit, and quickly ran up the tree. In the twinkling,
of an eye the tiger stood upright, gave out a terrible
growl, with a tremendous spring killed all the four
horses which were browsing at a little distance, and,
dragging one of them, rushed towards the densest part
of the forest. The four friends ensconced on the
branches of the tree were almost petrified with fear
at the sight of the terrible tiger ; but the danger was
now over. The tiger went off at a great distance from
them, and from its growl they judged that it must be
at least two miles distant from them. After a little
they came down from the tree ; and as they now had

^ Charm or incantation.

XXL] THE FIELD OP BONES. 260

no horses on which to ride, they walked on foot through
the forest, till, coming to its end, they reached the
shore of the sea. They sat on the sea shore hoping to
see some ship sailing by. They had not sat long, when
fortunately they descried a vessel in the offing. They
waved their handkerchiefs, and made all sorts of signs
to attract the notice of the people on board the ship.
The captain and the crew noticed the men on the
shore. They came towards the shore, took the men upon
board, but added that as they were short of provisions
they could not have them a long time on board, but
would put them ashore at the first port they came to.
After four or five days* voyage, they saw not far from the
shore high buildings and turrets, and supposing the
place to be a large city, the four friends landed there.

The four friends, immediately after landing, walked
along a long avenue of stately trees, at the end of
which was a bazaar. There were hundreds of shops in
the bazaar, but not a single human being in them.
There were sweetmeat shops in which there were heaps
of confectioneries ranged in regular rows, but no human
beings to sell them. There was the blacksmith's shop,
there was the anvil, there were the bellows and the
other tools of the smithy, but there was no smith there.
There were stalls in which there were heaps of faded
and dried vegetables, but no men or women to sell
them. The streets were all deserted, no human beings,
no cattle were to be seen there. There were carts, but

270 FOLK-TALES OF BENGAL. [xxi.

no bullocks ; there were carriages, but no horses. The
doors and windows of the houses of the city on both
sides of the streets were all open, but no human
being was visible in them. It seemed to be a deserted
city. It seemed to be a city of the dead — and
all the dead taken out and buried. The four friends
were astonished — they were frightened at the sight. As
they went on, they approached a magnificent pile of
buildings, which seemed to be the palace of a king.
They went to the gate and to the porter's lodge. They
saw shields, swords, spears, and other weapons sus-
pended in the lodge, but no porters. They entered the
premises, but saw no guards, no human beings. They
went to the stables, saw the troughs, grain, and grass
lying about in profusion, but no horses. They went
inside the palace, passed the long corridors — still no
human being was visible. They went through six long
courts — still no human being. They entered the
seventh court, and there and then, for the first time,
did they see living human beings. They saw coming
towards them four princesses of matchless beauty. Each
of these four princesses caught hold of the arm of each
of the four friends ; and each princess called each man
whom she had caught hold of her husband. The prin-
cesses said that they had been long waiting for the four
friends, and expressed great joy at their arrival. The
princesses took the four friends into the innermost
apartments, and gave them a sumptuous feast. There

XXI.] THE FIELD OF BONES. 271

were no servants attending them, the princesses them-
selves bringing in the provisions and setting them
before the four friends. At the outset the four prin-
cesses told the four friends that no questions were to be
asked about the depopulation of the city. After this,
each princess went into her private apartment along with
her newly-found husband. Shortly after the prince and
princess had retired into their private apartment, the
princess began to shed tears. On the prince inquiring
into the cause, the princess said, " O prince ! I pity you
very much. You seem, by your bearing, to be the son
of a king, and you have, no doubt, the heart of a king's
son ; I will therefore tell you my whole story, and the
story of my three companions who look like princesses.
I am the daughter of a king, whose palace this is, and
those three creatures, who are dressed like princesses,
and who have called your three friends their husbands,
are Rakshasis. They came to this city some time ago ;
they ate up my father, the king, my mother, the queen,
my brothers, my sisters, of whom I had a large number.
They ate up the king's ministers and servants. They
ate up gradually all the people of the city, all my
father's horses and elephants, and all the cattle of the
city. You must have noticed, as you came to the
palace, that there are no human beings, no cattle, no
living thing in this city. They have all been eaten up
by those three Rakshasis. They have spared me alone
— and that, I suppose, only for a time. When the

272 FOLK-TALES OF BENGAL. [xxi.

Bakshasis saw you and your friends firom a distance,
they were very glad, as they mean to eat you all up
after a short time.**

King's son, — But if this is the case, how do I know
that you are not a Rakshasi yourself ? Perhaps you
mean to swallow me up by throwing me oflf my guard.

Princess. — I'll mention one fact which proves that
those three creatures are Rakshasis, while I am not*
Bakshasis, you know, eat food a hundred times larger in
quantity than men or women. What the Rakshasis
eat at table along with us is not sufficient to appease
their hunger. They therefore go out at night to distant
lands in search of men or cattle, as there are none in
this city. K you ask your friends to watch and see
whether their wives remain all night in their beds,
they will find they go out and stay away a good part
of the night, whereas you will find me the whole night
with you. But please see that the Bakshasis do not
get the slightest inkling of all this ; for if they hear of
it, they will kill me in the first instance, and afterwards
swallow you all up.

The next day the king's son called together the
minister s son, the prefect's son, and the merchant's
son, and held a consultation, enjoining the strictest
secrecy on alL He told them what he had heard from
the princess, and requested them to lie awake in their
beds to watch whether their pretended princesses went
out at night or not. One presumptive argument in

XXI.] THE FIELD OF BONES. 278

favour of the assertion of the princess was that all the
pretended princesses were fast asleep during the whole
of the day in consequence of their nightly wanderings,
whereas the female friend of the king's son did not
sleep at all during the day. The three friends accordingly
lay in their beds at night pretending to be asleep and
manifesting all the symptoms of deep sleep. Each one
observed that his female friend at a certain hour, think-
ing her mate to be in deep sleep, left the room, stayed
away the whole night, and returned to her bed only at
dawn. During the following day each female friend
slept out nearly the whole day, and woke up only in
the afternoon. For two nights and days the three
friends observed this. The king's son also remained
awake at night pretending to be asleep, but the
princess was not observed for a single moment to leave
the room, nor was she observed to sleep in the day.
From these circumstances the friends of the king's son
began to suspect that their partners were really
Rakshasis as the princess said they were.

By way of confirmation the princess also told the
king's son, that the Rakshasis, after eating the flesh of
men and animals, threw the bones towards the north of
the city, where there was an immense collection of
them. The king's son and his three friends went one
day towards that part of the city, and sure enough they
saw there immense heaps of the bones of men and
animals piled up into hills. From this they became

274 FOLK-TALES OF BENGAL. [xxi.

more and more convioced that the three women were
Rakshasis in deed and truth.

The question now was how to run away from these
devourers of men and animals? There was one cir-
cumstance greatly in favour of the four friends, and
that was, that the three Rakshasis slept during nearly
the whole day ; they had therefore the greater part of
the day for the maturing of their plans. The princess
advised them to go towards the sea-shore, and watch if
any ships sailed that way. The four friends accord-
ingly used to go to the sea-shore looking for ships.
They were always accompanied by the princess, who
took the precaution of carrying with her in a bundle
her most valuable jewels, pearls and precious stones.
It happened one day that they saw a ship passing at a
great distance from the shore. They made signs which
attracted the notice of the captain and crew. ' The
ship came towards the land, and the four friends and
princess were, after much entreaty, taken up. The
princess exhorted the crew to row with all their might,
for which she promised them a handsome reward ; for
she knew that the Rakshasis would awake in the after-
noon, and immediately come after the ship ; and they
would assuredly catch hold of the vessel and destroy all
the crew and passengers if it stood short of eighty
miles from land, for the Rakshasis had the power of
distending their bodies to the length of ten Ycjanas}

^ A yojevna is nearly eight miles.

XXI.] THE FIELD OF BONES. 275

The four friends and the princess cheered on the crew,
and the oarsmen rowed with all their might ; and the
ship, favoured by the wind, shot over the deep like
lightning. It was near sun-down when a temble yell
was heard on the shore. The Rakshasis had wakened
from their sleep, and not finding either the four friends
or the princess, naturally thought they had got hold of
a ship and were escaping. They therefore ran along
the shore with lightning rapidity, and seeing the ship
afar off they distended their bodies. But fortunately
the vessel was more than eighty miles off land, though
only a trifle more : indeed, the ship was so dangerously
near that the heads of the Rakshasis with their widely-
distended jaws almost touched its stem. The word?
which the Rakshasis uttered in the hearing of the crew
and passengers were — '* O sister, so you are going to
eat them all yourself alone." The minister's son, the
prefect's son, and the merchant's son, had all along a
suspicion that the pretended princess, the prince's
partner, might after all also be a Rakshasi ; that
suspicion was now confirmed by what they heard the
three Rakshasis say. Those words, however, produced
no effect in the mind of the king's son, as from his
intimate acquaintance with the princess he could not
possibly take her to be a Rakshasi.

The captain told the four friends and princess that
as he was bound for distant regions in search of gold
mines, he could not take them along with him; he,

T 2

276 FOLK-TALES OF BENGAL. [xxi.

therefore, proposed that on the next day he should put
them ashore near some port, especially as they were
now safe from the clutches of the Rakshasis. On the
following day no port was visible for a long time;
towards the evening, however, they came near a port
where the four friends and the princess were landed.
After walking some distance, the princess, who had
never been accustomed to take long walks, complained
of fatigue and hunger ; they all therefore sat under a
tree, and the king's son sent the merchant's son to buy
some sweetmeats in the bazaar which they heard was
not far off. The merchant's son did not return, as he
was fully persuaded in his mind that the king's son's
partner was as real a Rakshasi as the three others from
whose clutches he had escaped. Seeing the delay of
the merchant's son, the king's son sent the prefect's
son after him; but neither did he return, he being
also convinced that the pretended princess was a
Rakshasi. The minister's son was next sent ; but he
also joined the other two. The king's son, then,
himself went to the shop of the sweetmeat seller where
he met his three friends, who made him remain with
them by main force, earnestly declaring that the woman
was no princess but a real Rakshasi like the other
three. Thus the princess was deserted by the four
friends who returned to their own country, full of the
adventures they had met with.

In the meantime the princess walked to the bazaar

XXI.] THE FIELD OF BONES. 277

and found shelter for a few days in the house of a poor
woman, after which she set out for the city of the four
friends, the name and whereabouts of which city she
had learnt from the king's son. On arriving at the
city, she sold some of her costly ornaments, pearls and
precious stones, and hired a stately house for her
residence with a suitable establishment. She caused
herself to be proclaimed as a heaven-bom dice-player,
and challenged all the players in the city to play, the
conditions of the game being that if she lost it she
would give the winner a laMi ^ of rupees, and if she
won it she should get a lalch from him who lost the
game. She also got authority from the king of the
country to imprison in her own house any one who
could not pay her the stipulated sum of money. The
merchant's son, the prefect's son, and the minister's
son, who all looked upon themselves as miraculous
players, played with the princess, paid her many hJchs,
but being unable to pay her all the sums they owed
her, were imprisoned in her house. At last the king's
son offered to play with her. The princess purposely
allowed him to win the fii*st game, which emboldened
him to play many times, in all of which he was the
loser ; and being unable to pay the many lakhs owing
her, the prince was about to be dragged into the
dungeon, when the princess told him who she was.
The merchant's son, the prefect's son, and the minister's

' Ten thousand pounds sterling.

27d FOLK-TALES OF BESGAl. [m.

son, were brought out of tbeir cells ; ainl the joj of
the four friends knew no bounds. The king and the
queen received their daughter-in-law with open arms,
and with demonstrations of great festivity.

Every one in the palace was glad except the princess.
She could not forget that her parents, her lHx>thers
and sisters had been devoured bv the Bakshasis, and
that their bones, aloDg with the bones of her fetther's
subjects, stood in mountain heaps on the north side of
the capital The prince had told her that he and his
three friends had the power of giving life to bones.
They could then reconstruct the frames of her parents
and other relatives ; but the difficulty lay in this — ^how
to kill the three Rakshasis. Could not the hermit, who
taught them to give life, not teach also how to take
away life ? In all likelihood he could* Reasoning in
this manner, the four friends and the princess went
to the temple of the hermit in the forest, prayed to
him to give them the secret of destroying life from a
distance by a charm. The hermit became propitious,
and granted the boon. A deer was passing by at the
moment. The hermit took a handfrd of water, re-
peated over it some words which the king's son
distinctly heard, and threw it upon the deer. The
deer died in a moment. He repeated other words
over the deal animal, the deer jumped up and ran
away into the forest.

Armed with this killing charm, the king's son.

XXI.] THE FIELD OF BONES. 279

together with the princess and the three friends, went
to his father-in-law's capital. As they approached
the city of death, the three Rakshasis ran furiously
towards them with open jaws. The king's son spilled
charmed water upon them, and they died in an instant.
They all then went to the heaps of bones. The mer-
chant's son brought together the proper bones of the
bodies, the prefect's son constructed them into
skeletons, the minister's son clothed them with sinews,
flesh, and skin, and the king's son gave them life.
The princess was entranced at the sight of the re-
animation of her parents and other relatives, and her
eyes were filled with tears of joy. After a few days
which they spent in great festivity, they left the
revivified city, went to their own country, and lived
many years in great happiness.

Here my story endetli,

The Nntiya-thora withercth, &c.

XXIL

THE BALD WIFE.

A CERTAIN man had two wives, the younger of whom
he loved more than the elder. The younger wife had
two tufts of hair on her head, and the elder only one.
The man went to a distant town for merchandise ; so
the two wives lived together in the house. But they
hated each other : the younger one, who was her hus-
band's favourite, ill-treated the other. She made her
do all the menial work in the house ; rebuked her all
day and night; and did not give her enough to eat.
One day the younger wife said to the elder, "Come
and take away all the lice from the hair of my head/'
While the elder wife was searching among the younger
one's hair for the vermin, one lock of hair by chance
gave way ; on which the younger one, mightily incensed,
tore off the single tuft that was on the head of the
elder wife, and drove her away from the house. The
elder wife, now become completely bald, determined to
go into the forest, and there either die of starvation or
be devoured by some wild beast On her way she
passed by a cotton plant. She stopped near it, made
for herself a broom with some sticks which lay about,
and swept clean the ground round about the plant.
The plant was much pleased, and gave her a blessing.
She wended on her way, and now saw a plantain tree.

XXII.] THE BALD WIFE. 281

She swept the ground round about the plantain tree,
which, being pleased with her, gave her a blessing.
As she went on she saw the shed of a Brahmani
bull. As the shed was very dirty, she swept the
place clean, on which the bull, being much pleased,
blessed her. She next saw a tulasi plant, bowed
herself down before it, and cleaned the place round
about, on which the plant gave her a blessing.
As she was going on in her journey she saw a hut
made of branches of trees and leaves, and near it
A man sitting cross-legged, apparently absorbed in
meditation. She stood for a moment behind the
venerable muni. "Whoever you may be," he said,
" come before me ; do not stand behind me ; if you do,
I will reduce you to ashes." The woman, trembling
with fear, stood before the muni. " What is your
petition ?" asked the muni. *' Father Muni," answered
the woman, " thou knowest how miserable I am, since
thou art all-knowing. My husband does not love me,
and his other wife, having torn off the only tuft of hair
on my head, has driven me away from the house.
Have pity upon me. Father Muni I " The m/ani,
continuing sitting, said, " Go into the tank which you
see yonder. Plunge into the water only once, and then
come to me again." The woman went to the tank,
washed in it, and plunged into the water only once,
according to the bidding of the muni. When she got
out of the water, what a change was seen in her I Her
head was full of jet black hair, which was so long that

282 FOLK TALES OF BENGAL. [xxii.

it touched her heels; her complexion had become
perfectly fair; and she looked young and beautifiiL
Filled with joy and gratitude, she went to the muni,
and bowed herself to the ground. The muni said to
her, " Rise, woman. Go inside the hut, and you will
find a number of wicker baskets, and brinor out anv
you like." The woman went into the hut, and selected
a modest-looking basket. The muni said, " Open the
basket." She opened it, and found it filled with ingots
of gold, pearls and all sorts of precious stones. The
muni said, "Woman, take that basket with you. It
will never get empty. When you take away the present
contents their room will be supplied by another set, and
that by another, and that by another, and the basket
will never become empty. Daughter, go in peace."
The woman bowed herself down to the ground in
profound but silent gratitude, and went away.

As she was returning homewards with the basket in
her hand, she passed by the tulasi plant whose bottom
she had swept. The tulasi plant said to her, " (Jo in
peace, child 1 thy husband will love thee warmly." She
next came to the shed of the Brahmani bull, who gave
her two shell ornaments which were twined round its
horns, saying, " Daughter, take these shells, put them
on your wrists, and whenever you shake either of them
you will get whatever ornaments you wish to obtain."
She then came to the plantain tree, which gave her one
of its broad leaves, saying, ** Take, child, this leaf; and
when you move it you will get not only all sorts of

xxiL] THB BALD WIFE. 288

delicious plantains, but all kinds of agreeable food/'
She came last of all to the cotton plant, which gave her
one of its own branches, saying, " Daughter, take this
branch ; and when you shake it you will get not only
all sorts of cotton clothes, but also of silk and purple.
Shake it now in my presence." She shook the branch,
and a fabric of the finest glossy silk fell on her lap.
She put on that silk cloth, and wended on her way
with the shells on her wrists, and the basket and the
branch and the leaf in her hands.

The younger wife was standing at the door of her
house, when she saw a beautiful woman approach
her. She could scarcely believe her eyes. What
a change 1 The old, bald hag turned into the very
Queen of Beauty herself I The elder wife, now grown
rich and beautiful, treated the younger wife with
kindness. She gave her fine clothes, costly omamentSi
and the richest viands. But all to no purpose. The
younger wife envied the beauty and hair of her
associate. Having heard that she got it all from
Father Muni in the forest, she determined to go
there. Accordingly she started on her journey. She
saw the cotton plant, but did nothing to it ; she passed
by the plantain tree, the shed of the Brahmani bull,
and the tulasi plant, without taking any notice of them.
She approached the muni. The muni told her to bathe
in the tank, and plunge only once into the water. She
gave one plunge, at which she got a glorious head of
hair and a beautifully fair complexion. She thought

SS4 FOLK-TALES OF BENGAL. [xxii.

a second plunge would make her still more beautifuL
Accordingly she plunged into the water again, and came
out as bald and uglv as before. She came to the muni^
and wept. The sage drove her away, saying, " Be oflF,
yon disobedient woman. Tou will get no boon from
me.** She went back to her house mad with grief.
The lord of the two women returned from his travels,
and was struck with the long locks and beauty of his
first wife. He loved her dearly ; and when he saw her
secret and untold resources and her incredible wealth,
he almost adored her. They lived together happily for
many years, and had for their maid-servant the younger
woman, who had been formerly his best beloved.

Here my story endeth.

The Natiya-thorn withereth ;

" Why, Natiya-thom, dost wither ! "

** Why does thy cow on me browse f "

** Why, cow, dost thou browse ? "

** Why does thy neat-herd not tend me I "

" Why, O neat-herd, dost not tend the cow f "

" Why does thy danghter-in-law not give me rice t

'• Why, danghter-in-law, dost not give rice ? "

•' Why does my child cry ? "

•' Why, O child, dost thou cry I ''

** Why does the ant bite me ? "

" Why, ant, dost thon bite ? "

Koot/ hoot I hoott

THE END.

vofMDo^: a. 0L4T, son, akd tatlos, panmEs.

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